Journey
by IHeartLogiebear
Summary: You know the BTR boys, right? Have you ever wondered about how they grew up and who they'll become? In this story, we'll follow the boys from birth and through all the important events that will shape who they are as adults. You'll smile, you'll laugh, you'll cry, and occasionally scream at your computer. Interested in knowing more about these boys? You've come to the right place.
1. The Story Begins

**Okay, I think it would be interested to follow the boys from birth throughout their childhood, teenage years, and adulthood. So I'm making a series of one-shots about all the important events in their lives! **

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish I could "own" Big Time Rush, I don't. Instead, I'm a college student that writes fanfiction about them *shrug***

* * *

**Thursday, November 2, 1995**

**Parents: Kyle Knight and Jennifer Morgan**

**Baby: Kendall Donald Knight**

"AAAAHHHHH!"

18 year old Jennifer Morgan is in a delivery room, screaming at the top of her lungs, seriously ready to strangle the doctor and boyfriend. "KYLE KNIGHT, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"How is it my-oh yeah." Kyle knows that pissing his girlfriend off would be a terrible idea. She's giving birth to their son and she's clearly feeling on edge. He's been looking forward to this day for months, but he's also terrified. Especially now that it's actually happening. Seeing his young girlfriend, sweaty and red in the face, pushing and shouting at the hospital staff.

"You're doing great, hon!" Doctor Greyson assures her

"DOESN'T FEEL SO GREAT!"

"Just one more push, okay? Just one more and you'll have your baby." Doctor Greyson doesn't seem the least bit phased, which is amazing. Even Jennifer is confused and she's the one pushing out a freaking _beach ball. _Seriously, it feels like squeezing out a damn beach ball.

"1...2...3...4...FIVE!"

Seconds later, the cries of a precious baby boy fill the room. Jennifer starts crying tears of joy as she's handed a blue bundle. Kyle smiles as well. Looking down at their newborn son. they get a look at his innocent green eyes, looking back up at them. Neither of them had planned on having a baby young, but now that they have their little guy, they wouldn't have it any other way.

"Welcome to the world, Kendall Donald Knight." Jennifer whispers, touching her son's tiny hand.

* * *

**Tuesday, July 16, 1996**

**Parents: Brooke Diamond and Samuel Diamond**

**Baby: James David Diamond**

20 year old Brooke Diamond is exhausted. Completely, absolutely, one hundred percent exhausted. She's relieved that the "giving birth" process is over and she can enjoy her new baby boy, James David Diamond. At this moment, she is holding the blue bundle in her arms, smiling down at the precious baby boy.

"Can't wait to get out of here, Jay." She whispers, touching his hand. "What about you?"

James just keeps on sleeping, obviously feeling very comfortable in his mother's arms. Brooke giggles, kissing his forehead. She's enjoying this time alone with her son. Although, she can't get over the fact that her husband didn't show up for his birth. It seems like something that a new father would _want _to see. She keeps trying to think of every possible excuse, but nothing could possibly justify Samuel missing the birth of his son.

"I'm sure Daddy will be here soon." She assures him, stroking his cheek. She can't get over how beautiful her baby boy is. Ever since he was born, his grandma has been bragging about what a little heartbreaker he's gonna be. Brooke can't say that she disagrees. Her little man is gonna be very handsome when he gets older. She can already tell.

Sighing, she looks at the clock, silently begging for Samuel's arrival. Of course, he never does show up. Hey, Brooke supposes that she shouldn't be that surprised. Samuel seems to be breaking a lot of promises lately.

* * *

**Thursday, August 15, 1996**

**Parents: Sylvia Garcia and Roberto Garcia**

**Baby: Carlos Roberto Garcia**

Sylvia Garcia and Roberto Garcia watch as their son is wrapped in a comfy blue blanket. Finally, he is placed in Sylvia's loving arms. Sylvia's eyes fill with happy tears as she admires the newborn, while still thinking of what to name him. She and Roberto have thought about this for months, but they haven't had an easy time deciding their son's name.

"Carlos." Roberto suggests.

"Carlos?" Sylvia smiles.

"I looked it up and it means free man." Robert nods, touching the baby's hand. He smiles as his son wraps a hand around his finger, already indicating that he'll be both a curious and affectionate little boy. Plus, he's handsome just like his daddy. After years old trying, 32 year old Roberto and his 30 year old wife have achieved their biggest dream, becoming parents. He just can't believe it.

"I like it?" Sylvia smiles. "You like that name, baby boy?"

Their son looks up at them before closing his eyes and yawning. Okay, they're both gonna take that as a yes. As for his middle name, Sylvia thinks that it should be...

"Roberto."

"What?" Her husband questions.

"His name is Carlos _Roberto _Garcia." Sylvia grins, cuddling little Carlos. Her husband's smile grows wider at the thought of his son being named after him. Both of them can agree that this is going at the top of their list of favorite memories.

* * *

**Saturday, September 14, 1996**

**Parents: Joanna Mitchell and Ryan Mitchell**

**Baby: Hortense Mitchell**

"Joanna, Hortense is a _girl's _name."

"Ugh, it means garden! Gardens are beautiful and so is our son!" 25 year old Joanna Mitchell argues. She cannot believe that she and her husband are arguing just two hours after their son's birth. This should be the happiest time of their lives, but Ryan is seriously getting on her nerves. Sometimes she feels like she could strangle that man.

"It's girly, Joanna!" Ryan whines.

"Ugh, you are such a child!" Joanna retorts, satisfying the baby boy with a bottle. The little guy is probably just as aggravated with his daddy as she is. She can just imagine him thinking "Just give me a darn name already?!" To be truthful, Joanna has actually thought about kicking his ass out many times.

"Um, have you guys decided-"

"WE'RE TALKING HERE!" Joanna yells, scaring the nurse out of the room. She huffs, groaning as the baby starts crying. "Oh no! I'm sorry, little guy! Come on, here's your bottle!"

"Great job, _mommy_." Ryan mutters under his breath. Joanna gives him a sarcastic smile before continuing to tend to their son. "Okay, fine! If you wanna put our son through years of humiliation, so be it!"

Joanna rolls her eyes, kissing _Hortense's _cheek. Yep, the baby's name is Hortense Mitchell. She loves the name, no matter what her idiot of a husband thinks.

* * *

**Hehe, we all know "Hortense" will become Logan in a few years:P**

**Review! :D**


	2. Leaving

**EDIT: Someone informed me that texting was still fairly new in the 1990s, so I'm changing this chapter so Ryan sends Joanna a letter:)****  
**

**Wednesday, February 12, 1997**

"I wonder why Daddy hasn't come home yet." Joanna asks little Hortense, giggling at her son's amused smile. At five months old, he's a huge smiler. She can't get enough of his little grin, which is why she tries to amuse him so much on a regular basis. She's also gotten a lot of compliments from her neighbors, although there's one lady that loves making snide comments about his name.

Now, about her husband. They've been fighting even more these days. He has been gone for two days and still hasn't returned. She has talked to his parents, who act kind of suspicious. She has repeatedly asked them where Ryan is, but they won't tell her. She went as far as going to their house! Of course, he wasn't there.

"You're so handsome, little guy." She coos, lifting him from his crib. He squeaks, grabbing a strand of her hair. She kisses his cheek, carrying him down to the kitchen. He must be pretty hungry by now, considering it's nine thirty in the morning.

"Hortense, why are you chewing on mommy's-oww!" Joanna yelps as she hits her knee on a table. She groans, standing on one leg while holding Hortense. Finally, the pain begins to subside and she returns her foot to the ground, giggling when Hortense touches her cheek, instantly making her feel _much _better.

"Aww, you're like a little doctor!" She says in a sweet baby voice.

"Oooh, mommy's needs to read the letter daddy sent!" She exclaims. She went to the mailbox this morning, but she had to feed Hortense before checking out the mail. She was hoping that Ryan's letter would provide an explanation about his absence.

"Haven't gotten one of those in a while."

_Hey, J, it's Ryan. Listen, I have to tell you something important. I'm sure you're already aware of this, but our marriage hasn't been a happy one for a while. Haven't you noticed that all we ever do is fight? Even before...Hortense was born, we've done nothing but fight! Well, it's taken a toll on me, J. Here's the hardest part. About three months ago, I met someone at work and we've been seeing each other in secret. Now that things between you and I have gone downhill, I've been staying with her. I'm sorry, J, but I won't be coming home this time. Give our son a hug and kiss for me._

Joanna lets out a tiny sob, sitting the phone down. She can't get over what she just read. She can't believe that Ryan would leave her, especially when they have a child together! Sure, they fought a lot, but she thought that he _loved _her. More importantly, she thought that he loved their son. Clearly, the love just isn't in him anymore. Then again, maybe the love left him a long time ago.

"Well, that's it." She sniffles, tears streaming down her cheeks. "It's over, baby. It's just you and me now."

After fixing Hortense his bottle, she takes him over to the couch and sits down, feeding him for the first time as a single mom. She knows that raising her son alone will be the hardest thing that she'll ever do, but she's not that shocked about this. Truthfully, she saw it coming. She saw it coming for a _very _long time.

* * *

**Review? :)**


	3. Wedding Day

**Saturday, June 14, 1997**

"Mama...mama..." 19 month old Kendall babbles, toddling around his mother's bedroom. Jennifer smiles as she looks at her reflection in the mirror. Today, she is gonna marry the love of her life. She's getting married at the local park, in a lovely white wedding gown, with a reception in her own back yard. She's been planning this day for months now and she couldn't be happier.

"Mama!" Kendall yells again.

"What's up, Kenny Bear?" She turns around, lifting her baby boy into her arms. He looks at her with the cutest expression and she smiles, kissing his cheek. She feels truly blessed to have two amazing guys in her life., She has had to grow up sooner than she ever planned, but she doesn't mind at all. Kendall is her world and he always will be.

"Who's that baby?" She asks when he notices the mirror. "Who is it, buddy?"

"Ba-by?"

"That's right, Kenny! Baby!" She nods, sitting him down. She takes a deep breath and sits Kendall down, grabbing some lipgloss. After she's put some on, she utters the words that she's been wanting to say for months.

"I'm getting married today."

* * *

"No, no, this way!" Kyle's cousin Elena encourages as Kendall tries to run off with the ring. He's suppose to be the ring bearer, but they probably should have taken his age into consideration. He's not even two years old yet and it seems like he'd rather run around and play. Luckily, Elena is keeping him under control.

"Take the rings to mommy and daddy!" Elena encourages. Kendall emits a tiny squeak, hurrying up the aisle. Kyle and Jennifer both laugh at his silliness, playfully thanking him as the preacher takes the rings off the pillow. Then Elena takes him over to a chair and sits the hyper little boy on her lap.

"We're gonna have to get him into some sports when he gets a little older." Kyle whispers into his soon-to-be wife's ear. Jennifer nods in agreement, giving him a smile. They hang onto the preacher's every word, smiling all the way. Eventually, it comes to the "big moment."

"Do you, Kyle, take Jennifer to be your lawful wedded wife?"

"I do."

"Do you, Jennifer, take Kyle to be your wedded husband?"

"I do."t

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." The preacher states. "You may now kiss the bride."

As the newlyweds share their first kiss as husband and wife, the audience erupts in applause. Even Kendall is clapping, a huge baby grin on his face. The best thing about this day isn't just that they're married, but they (Kendall included) are a family.

* * *

"Kendall, you are so messy!" Kyle exclaims when he notices chocolate all around the baby boy's mouth. In response, Kendall laughs and shoves more cake against his face. Rolling his eyes, Kyle kneels in front of the child, giving the kid a look. Kendall probably doesn't care, though. He's having way too much fun.

"Jen, look what our son did." He says, showing their chocolate loving son to his new wife.

"Kendall Donald Knight!" Jennifer pretends to scold him. Kendall smiles sweetly, holding one chocolaty hand out to his mother. It's almost as if he's offering her some chocolate. Goodness, he's so silly. They sure do love him, though.

"Get that child cleaned up!" Jennifer's mom reprimands.

"Mom!" Jennifer groans. Kyle groans, carrying Kendall inside to the restroom. Secretly, he's not that crazy about Jennifer's mom. The woman nags 24/7, to the point of being downright irritating. He's been tempted to tell her off a few times, but he's too polite for that. Therefore, he keeps his opinions to himself.

"I don't think you need anymore cake today." He says, wiping the chocolate of his son's mouth and hands. Luckily, none appears to have gotten on his tux. Jennifer would be horrified if that happened, since she spent a pretty good amount of money on this toddler sized tuxedo. She's so proud of it!

"Okay, is our little man clean?" The new Mrs. Knight asks only minutes later.

"He sure is." Kyle answers, lifting Kendall into his arms. Jennifer rests her head on his shoulder and Kyle looks at the three reflections in the mirror, a soft smile on his face. They make a beautiful family. He has always noticed that, but it seems so obvious. The light in their eyes is unbelievable.

"I love you." Jennifer whispers.

"I love you too."

"Mama! Dada!"

"We love you, Kendall!"

* * *

**The next chapter is gonna be a James chapter! :) Also, I'll try to get a new chapter of Stuck In My Head up today! :)**

**Review! :D**


	4. Birthday Disaster

**Wednesday, July 16, 1997**

James Diamond is a year old today. The baby boy is sitting on the kitchen floor, while his mother does the finishing touches on his birthday cake. Occasionally, she looks down at the child and smiles at him, and he smiles back in response. He toddles over to her and wraps his arms around her leg, babbling.

"This looks yummy. Doesn't it, Jay?" She questions, lifting her son so he can have a good view of the chocolate cake. He squeals as she sits him back down, letting him walk around the kitchen. Suddenly, the front door opens and her husband enters the house, but it doesn't take a genius to see that he's drunk.

"Samuel?" She gasps.

"Hey, baby." He slurs, planting a kiss on her cheek. She cringes, pushing him away. He's twenty eight years old, so you'd think he'd be more mature. Brooke is twenty one and she's more responsible than him, which she finds really sad and kind of pathetic.

"Go upstairs and get sobered up before you come back down here." She pulls away from his grasp, pushing him toward the stairs. Once he has stumbled to the second floor of their home, Brooke returns to her work in the kitchen. She inhales as she begins pouring some fruit punch into glasses. She isn't surprised by Samuel's behavior, considering that he's came home drunk before.

"Mama!" James exclaims.

"What's going on, little man?" She asks playfully, even though she knows he heard the doorbell ring. She approaches the door, looking through the peep hole. Oh, Emma is here! She's been Brooke's best friend since elementary school. She's also James's godmother and he absolutely adores her.

"Where's the birthday boy?" Emma exclaims as she's let in.

"Jay, Auntie Emma is here." Brooke says sweetly, picking James up. Emma happily takes the baby boy into her arms, giving him a gentle hug. "Em, I'm gonna see what Samuel's doing."

"I still think you should divorce his ass." Emma mutters. Brooke's eyes fill with sadness and she trudges up the stairs. Her family and friends all think that she should leave her husband, but they just don't understand. He's James's father and the last thing she wants is to...what the...

"Baby, I'm sorry! Look, I'm gonna talk to her later! Yes, I'm gonna leave her! Come on, you know I love you."

Brooke presses her ear against the door, tears already streaming down her face.

"She means nothing to me, okay? Yeah, I knocked her up, but you're the one I want."

Brooke shakes her head, angrily punching the door and running down the stairs.

"Brooke, you okay?!" Emma frowns. Without saying a word, Brooke grabs her purse and runs out the door, wanting nothing more than to be left alone. She doesn't necessarily wanna miss her son's birthday party, but she can't be seen crying at the event. It's suppose to be a happy time and she's anything but happy right now.

* * *

"Babe, you missed the party." Samuel slurs when Brooke returns hours later.

"GET OUT!" She yells at him.

"What are you-"

"I said get out!" Brooke shouts, grabbing him and shoving him toward the door. Samuel tries to grab her wrist, but it doesn't work too well. He finally has no choice but to give up and walk outside. Once he's on the front porch, Brooke slams the door in his face and locks it, while James watches in bewilderment.

"Mama?"

"Daddy's a jerk." Brooke mutters, picking him up. James whimpers, innocently sucking his thumb.

**That night**

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear James! Happy birthday to you!" Brooke sings before helping James blow out the single candle on his cupcake. Laughing softly, she claps, pecking his cheek. She was so horrified by what she overheard earlier that she missed his actual party, but she's making it up to him.

"Tell you what, little guy." She whispers. "Tomorrow, you and I are gonna take a trip to the aquarium. I'm sorry I skipped your party."

"Mama." James holds out his hands. Brooke lovingly strokes his cheek, looking into his hazel eyes. She's having a hard time accepting that her marriage failed on her son's first birthday, but maybe it's for the best. Samuel Diamond is irresponsible, self centered, manipulative, a liar, and so much more. James doesn't need someone like that in his life.

"I'll take care of you, Jay." She assures him. "You can count on me."

* * *

**I didn't really show the actual birthday party, but this chapter focused on Brooke's POV and (as you know) she left the party because she was so upset and shocked about her husband's infidelity:)**

**Review! :D**

**PS: A new chapter of Stuck In My Head will most likely be posted later today:D**


	5. New Home

**Friday, November 19, 1999**

"Well, this is nice." Sylvia says as she follows Roberto into their new home, holding three year old Carlos's hand. Reluctantly, she lets go of his hand, watching him carefully to make sure that he doesn't get into any trouble. She and her husband have learned that Carlos is a very mischievous little boy. He gets into everything, even when they say "don't touch that!" Yep, he's their little troublemaker, but he's still very sweet.

"Carlitos, do you like Minneapolis?" Roberto asks him. With a big smile, he raises his hand, giving his daddy a high five. Sylvia giggles, reaching for her son's hand. She knows that he finds that fancy vase on the table very interesting, but he's already broken enough things in the past three years.

"Can I have a snack?" He asks her.

"How about a...cookie?" Sylvia suggests, taking a small bag of Chips Ahoy cookies from her purse. Carlos claps happily, reaching into the bag. They have to be careful about giving him sweets because he's so hyper, but they reward him every once in a while. He's been a very good boy today!

"And what do you think?" Roberto asks his wife, giving her a kiss.

"Yuck!"

Sylvia laughs at their little boy, then she looks at her husband. "I love it."

They moved to Minneapolis because Roberto is a cop and he got a really good offer here. He starts work on Monday. Sylvia was a little conflicted about leaving Boca Raton, Florida, but she's making the most of this big change. Minnesota is a beautiful state and this might be a good thing after all.

"Now, Carlitos, it's your turn to get a kiss!" She exclaims, picking him up. He squeals as his parents kiss his cheeks, then Sylvia sits him down and follows him as he explores their new home. This could be a good place for him to grow up. Yeah, a big move is nerve wracking, but who said that it has to be a bad thing?

"Snow!" Carlos says, looking out the window.

"That's right, buddy!" Roberto nods, ruffling his hair. "Wanna check it out?"

Jumping up and down, Carlos nods and tries to reach for the doorknob. Of course, he's too short, so Sylvia has to do it for him. Once the door is open, she happily follows him outside, watching while he runs and jumps around in the snow.

She starts to turn to her husband, until she hears a rather loud noise. She whips around, shocked to find that Carlos threw a snowball at another little girl. He looks totally bewildered now and Sylvia fears that the little girl might cry, but that's not what happens at all. Suddenly, the little girl screams and lunges at Carlos, knocking him down.

"Courtlyn, what are you doing?!" A young blonde woman scolds, rushing toward the child.

"I think Carlos wanted to have a snowball fight, sweetie." Sylvia explains, helping Carlos up.

"Courtlyn Elizabeth Martin, I swear..."

"Really, it's fine." Sylvia insists. "Right, Carlos?"

Carlos only shrugs in response, sticking his tongue out at Courtlyn.

"I am so sorry." The woman says apologetically.

"It's fine." Sylvia smiles. "Anyway, I'm Sylvia, this is my husband Roberto, and this little guy is our son Carlos."

"I'm Cameron and this is my _crazy _three year old daughter, Courtlyn." Cameron introduces, giving her daughter a look. She shakes her head, picking Courtlyn up. That child is the cutest thing. She has light brown hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. Sylvia wouldn't mind giving Carlos a little sister soon.

"Tell you what, I think Carlos and Courtlyn should play and get to know each other." Sylvia states as Courtlyn is sat back down. The two children are now making faces at each other, giggling after each one. It seems like they don't dislike each other so much after all.

"Well, it looks like he's made himself a new friend." Roberto whispers in his wife's ear.

Sylvia smiles at him. "I think you're right."

* * *

**Aww, Carlitos made a friend! **

**In the next chapter, he and James finally meet for the first time:)**

**Review! :D**


	6. Friend

**Monday, January 24, 2000**

"I don't wanna go!" James whines as Brooke pulls him toward the day care center.

"Jay, I have to go to work." Brooke says gently, kneeling in front of him. Her heart breaks upon seeing the tears in his eyes, but he has to stay somewhere. She's starting a new job in Minneapolis today, at a local cosmetics company, and she doesn't have any close relatives that can watch James. So he'll have to attend day care while mommy is working.

"Look, you'll make lots of friends." She assures him, kissing his cheek. She waves at a young day care worker, who is eagerly waiting for James to go in. Of course, he's clinging to his mom. She feels bad for making him go, but she has no other choice!

"Come on." She urges, leading toward the front doors.

"Hi! I'm Anna." The young worker greets. "Who's this little guy?"

"This is James." Brooke says cheerfully, touching James's hair. "Listen, I'm just gonna leave him here for a few hours while I'm at work."

"Oh, that's fine! We'll take good care of him."

"Bye bye, Jay." Brooke gives him a hug before turning around and hesitantly walking away.

* * *

James whimpers as he watches his mother walk away. He reluctantly takes the lady's hand, letting her guide him into the building. The first thing that little James notices is the variety of toys and whatnot, and a little boy sitting all alone. Looking up at the day care lady, Miss Anna, he points at the boy.

"Why don't you say hi to him?" Anna smiles. James nods, slowly approaching the boy.

"Can I pway?"

"Sure." The boy replies, handing him a toy truck.

"I'm James!" He states, rolling the toy fire truck back and forth.

"I'm Carwos!"

"And I'm Courtlyn!" A little girl exclaims, pushing James out of the way. James's jaw drops and he looks at the girl with horror. She's mean! He was only trying to make a new friend and she just shoved him! Well, he's already decided that he doesn't like her at all. He would fight back, but he doesn't want his mommy to get mad at him.

"Courtlyn!" An old lady scolds. "Say you're sorry!"

"Sowwy." Courtlyn mutters. James sticks his tongue out at her, returning to his previous position.

For ten minutes, the three children play with toy trucks, then Anna calls all the kids to snack time. James, Carlos, and Courtlyn all sit together at one table, and a plate of cheese, crackers, and veggies are placed in the middle along with three glasses of orange juice. James would rather have chocolate, but this is okay too.

"We should be fwiends!" Carlos says suddenly.

"Yeah, let's be fwiends!" James agrees. He glances over at Courtlyn, who is making a huge stack of cheese and crackers. James's mommy always tells him not to play with his food. He's only three, but even he gets "the rules," such as no playing with your food.

"Courtlyn, James is our new fwiend!" Carlos says happily. Courtlyn only shrugs in response, shoving a cracker into her mouth.

* * *

**Six hours later**

"Mommy!" James exclaims, running toward Brooke's car.

"Hey, little man!" Brooke lifts James into her arms, kissing his cheek. "How did you like day care?"

"I made a fwiend!" James replies, pointing at the little boy standing with another woman. Brooke grins and waves at the mother and her son. "That's Carwos."

"Carlos?"

James nods.

"Well, he looks like a very nice little boy." Brooke says, stroking his hair. She laughs as James waves at Carlos, happy that her son made a friend. She was honestly a little worried that he would have a hard time here, but she feels completely relieved now. Now she gets to look forward to planning a play date for the boys.

"You must be James's mother!" Carlos's mom greets. "I'm Sylvia Garcia."

"Hi, I'm Brooke Diamond." Brooke shakes Sylvia's hand. "And I was just thinking that we could schedule a play date for our boys sometime!"

"Well, that sounds wonderful!" Sylvia agrees, holding Carlos's hand. Brooke looks down at the little boy, giving him a smile. He seems rather shy and he's absolutely adorable. If James is gonna have any friends, she wants him to associate with the right people. In just a few short minutes, she has decided that she approves of Carlos.

"I think they really had fun."

"Sylvia!" Another woman calls out.

"Cameron! This is Brooke Diamond." Sylvia introduces.

"Hi!" Cameron says quickly before looking at Sylvia. "Did Courtlyn give Carlos any trouble today?"

"None to Carlos, but I think she had some trouble with other kids." Sylvia answers. Brooke furrows her eyebrows, listening Cameron groans and covers her faces. Courtlyn must be her daughter.

"Courtlyn!"

"Yes, mommy?" A little brunette girl sounds extra sweet as she approaches her mother.

"Were you mean to other kids today?" Cameron asks sternly. While she reprimands her daughter, Brooke picks James up, quickly exchanging numbers with Sylvia before heading to her car. As anxiety provoking as it was to leave James with complete strangers, she has a feeling that he's gonna be just fine. After all, he's already made _one_ friend.

* * *

**In the next chapter, James and Carlos meet Kendall! Since Logan moved to Minnesota in third grade, it'll be a few more chapters before he joins the group:) For now, you'll see Logiebear and his mom in Texas!**

**Review! :D**


	7. Vacation Time

**Monday, June 19, 2000**

"Are we there yet?"

"No, Hortense, we're not." Joanna says tiredly, trying to focus on the road ahead. Now that it's summer, she decided to take some time off, so she and Hortense could go on a little vacation together. Since he was born, she hasn't went on any major trips, but he's three now and she figured that he might enjoy a vacation.

Where are they going? Moody Gardens. It's this really cool place located in Galveston. There's an aquarium, an indoor rainforest, a scientific museum, a 3D movie theatre, and more. They're gonna stay in the beautiful Moody Gardens Resort and enjoy all of its amenities, all while having a week full of mommy/son adventures.

"Are we _almost _there?"

"We're _almost halfway there._" Joanna giggles, looking in the rearview mirror. She put The Emperor's New Groove on the portable DVD player and that kept him busy for a while, but the movie has been over for thirty minutes and he's back to being hyper little Hortense. She loves him, though. No matter how crazy he gets.

* * *

**Day 1: June 19**

Monday is spent settling into their hotel room...and a little time is spent in the resort's pool. Of course, Joanna stays in the kiddy pool with Hortense. She laughs every time that he splashes her, playfully returning the gesture.

While he plays, she watches lovingly, thanking God for the day that her precious boy was born. Even though raising him as a single mom has been hard, she couldn't imagine life without him.

* * *

**Day 2: June 20**

On Tuesday, they go to the aquarium.

"Mommy, what's dat?" Hortense asks, pointing at the creature behind the glass.

"That's a penguin, little man." Joanna says, kneeling behind him. The penguin doesn't seem to care one bit about their presence. The little black and white bird seems to be without a care in the world. So far, it seems like the penguins are Hortense's favorite thing that they've seen so far. Although, he also seemed to be fascinated with the sea lions.

"Can it fwy?"

"No, baby, he swims." She explains, watching as the penguin slides into the water. She giggles as Hortense presses his face against the glass, playing with his soft brown hair. So far, this has been the perfect vacation. She just hopes that it'll continue that way.

* * *

**Day 3: June 21**

They go to the indoor rainforest on Wednesday. At one point, Hortense complains about being cold, so Joanna lets him wear his jacket. He gets very excited when he sees the monkeys jumping from tree to tree, eagerly pointing at them. Since Joanna doesn't want him hurting himself, she holds his hand throughout this adventure.

"Mommy, I want a pet monkey!"

"Sweetie, monkeys aren't meant to be pets." She explains gently. "They like being free, you know?"

Hortense frowns, watching the cheerful monkeys. Soon, he begins giggling and jumping, clapping his hands. Joanna, and a few bystanders, chuckle at his cuteness. Well, at least he didn't throw a tantrum upon learning that no monkeys will be allowed in the Mitchell household. Hey, Joanna really doesn't want their house to be destroyed.

"Let's keep walking, buddy." She suggests, reaching for his hand. "There's a lot more to be seen."

* * *

**Day 4: June 22**

On Thursday, they go to the science museum. This place is mainly about the human body and how it functions. To Joanna's surprise, Hortense finds this part quite interesting. She didn't think a three year old boy would be so fascinated with the human body. However, he seems _very _excited.

"Oooh, what's dat?" He questions, pointing at a skeleton.

"That's a skeleton." She smiles, lifting him into her arms. "Those are what our bones look like."

When he begins wiggling in her arms, she sits him back down, following him as he explores. She has a feeling that he's gonna be a very smart little boy. He already knows how to read surprisingly well! He has even tried to read the notes on each exhibit at the museum. She's so proud of him!

"F-ib-u-la." Hortense pronounces, reading the notes next to the skeleton. Joanna grins down at him, listening with pride. Oh yeah, Hortense Mitchell is definitely a genius in the making.

* * *

**Day 5: June 23**

Friday is dedicated to watching two 3D movies, one about tornadoes and one about sharks. Hortense finds the tornadoes scary, but he thinks the sharks are really cool. Joanna doesn't bother informing him about the shark attacks that happen several times each year. He seems so enthusiastic about the sharks and she doesn't wanna ruin his fun.

"They have sharp teeth!" He exclaims.

"Shhh!" She whispers, smiling apologetically at their fellow moviegoers. "Yeah, they do. Listen, you've gotta whisper because other people are trying to watch the movie."

"Kay kay!" He answers in an enthusiastic whisper. While he quiets down and watches the movie, she strokes his hair, enjoying the peace and quiet. She loves hearing his voice, but she doesn't mind the moments where he isn't chatting away. Sometimes he gets really hyper and he ends up giving his mama a headache.

"What are those fishies?" He whispers, referring to the fish clinging to the sharks on the screen.

"I can't remember what they're called." She replies, smiling at his curiosity. That's another indication that she's got a little genius on her hands. She'll be looking forward to the A's and B's that he'll most likely earn once he starts school.

* * *

**Day 6: June 24**

On Saturday morning, they check out of the resort. Once Hortense is buckled into his car seat and occupied with another movie, Joanna gets into the driver's seat and puts the key in the ignition. As much as she enjoyed this trip, she's kind of happy to go home. They've been out and about all week, so she's pretty worn out.

"Mommy, can we do this again?"

"Sure, baby." Joanna answers. "Sure we can."

With that, she puts her foot on the gas and exits the parking lot.

* * *

**I've been to Moody Gardens before! I went last summer:D**

**The next chapter will be about Kendall meeting James and Carlos in kindergarten! Trust me, it'll be adorable;)**

**Review! :D**


	8. First Day Of School

**Monday, August 27, 2001**

"You look so adorable, Kenny Bear!" Jennifer squeals, snapping pictures of her little kindergartener. At first, Kendall was okay with the photo shoot, but now he seems to be getting a little aggravated with his mom. When Jennifer notices his annoyance, she quickly puts the phone away, smiling at Kyle before fixing Kendall's hair. She wants him to look presentable on his first day of school!

"Babe, he has to be there at eight." Kyle reminds her.

"Oh!" Jennifer exclaims, quickly handing Kendall his bag and ushering him out the door. Just as they both get settled into the car, she realizes something. Her son is _really _starting school and she's _freaking out._

* * *

"Be a good boy, okay?" Jennifer says, kneeling in front of Kendall.

"Okay!"

"Alright," She smiles. "I'm going now, okay? I'll pick you up at three."

Kendall nods before letting his mother give him a kiss, then he waves and walks into the building. His mommy seemed to make a big deal out of kindergarten, but he doesn't see it. He just sees a bunch of other kids just like him. For days, his mommy has been talking to him about making friends, as if she's worried about his social life, but he doesn't think he'll have a problem. He's a very social five year old.

"Hi, sweetie!" His teacher, Miss Taylor, exclaims. The school had an open house the other day, so he has already met her. He has decided that he likes her a lot. He hasn't formed an opinion of the other kids yet. He's kind of excited to meet some of them, though. He hasn't really interacted with a lot of kids since his family moved to Minneapolis.

"You should play with us!" A brown haired girl speaks out.

"Sure!" Kendall agrees, following her over to a table. Two other boys are sitting at the table, drawing in a coloring book. Kendall happily crawls into a chair and grabs a coloring book and some crayons.

"I'm Kendall, by the way."

"I'm Courtlyn."

"I'm Carlos."

"I'm James and I love hair care products!"

Kendall eyes James curiously. Hair care products? He's very weird. Then again, Kendall only stopped wetting his bed a few months ago, so maybe he shouldn't call James weird. Besides, James seems pretty nice, despite his obvious obsession with his hair. Kendall is obsessed with brownies and action figures!

"I like your shirt!" Carlos says cheerfully.

"Thank you!" Kendall replies, looking at his Minnesota Wild tee shirt.

"What's the Minnesota Wild?" Courtlyn frowns.

"It's a hockey team!" Kendall says enthusiastically.

"Hockey's stupid."

James and Carlos look at her with disbelief, but Kendall's not surprised. Courtlyn's just a stupid girl! She doesn't understand hockey like boys do. Nope, she can stick to her barbie dolls while the boys stick with the cool stuff.

"It's better than My Little Pony!" Carlos argues.

"No, there's a different." Courtlyn retorts. "My Little Pony is fun, hockey is _dumb._"

All three boys give her dirty looks, occasionally glancing at each other. Courtlyn must be _really _weird if she thinks My Little Pony is better than hockey. Kendall watched it with a girl in his neighborhood and he argued until she agreed to change the channel. Unlike hockey, it's boring. He has vowed that as long as he lives, he'll never be caught dead watching girly shows like My Little Pony.

"My daddy said that he might take me to a hockey game!" Carlos states.

"My daddy has talked about it too." Kendall nods. "But they're 'trying for a baby," so they might not have time right now."

"I don't know where my daddy is." James sighs. Kendall frowns at James, genuinely concerned for the boy. He doesn't know where James's daddy is, but it must be hard not having one. After all, it seems like _everyone _has a daddy. Carlos has a daddy, Kendall has a daddy, and mostly everyone else probably does too.

"You have friends, Jay." Carlos tells him. "Me, Courtlyn, and Kendall!"

"We're friends?" Kendall tries not too sound _overly _excited.

"Well, yeah." Carlos responds. "My daddy told me that school sucks, so I need to find some friends and we need to stick together."

"My mommy says that your daddy's a bad influence." Courtlyn murmurs. Then she whispers to James and Carlos. "He's taken sensitivity training twice already."

"You don't even know what sensitivity training is!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"DO TOO!"

Kendall sighs heavily, returning to his coloring. He likes his new friends a lot, but he still thinks that they're kind of weird. Well, at least there's _one _normal child in the group.

* * *

**You'll meet Jenny Tinkler in the next chapter! Let's just say that she causes a little "accident."**

**Review! :D**


	9. Injury

"That's not how you play, Jenny!" James complains, standing on the shooting line. He and a classmate, Jenny Tinkler, are playing a game of marbles. It's not going so well, though, because Jenny _does not _know how to do anything right. She tries, that's for sure, but she's been failing miserably for the past thirty minutes.

"Well, I'm sorry!" Jenny whines. "Here, lemme...whoa!"

Before anyone can speak up, she accidentally pushes James, causing him to stumble over the marbles on the floor and fall down. To six year old Jenny's horror, a crack is heard, followed by James's wailing. Well, this isn't what she had intended at all. She was simply gonna get James to move, so she could try again, but she accidentally pushed him instead. Oops...

"Honey, are you okay?!" His mom asks frantically, rushing to her son's side.

"My arm!" James cries. Jenny almost starts crying herself, feeling so terrible for hurting James. Really, she didn't mean to hurt him! She thought they would have fun, playing games and stuff like friends do. She had no idea that the play date would end like this.

"Shhh, I'm gonna take you to the doctor, okay?" His mom says gently, ignoring his cries as she lifts him into her arms. Jenny stands beside her mother, watching anxiously as Brooke carries James out to the car. Well, that was the worst play date ever. Come to think of it, most of Jenny's play dates turn out to be disastrous.

* * *

"Mommy, my arm hurts."

"I know, baby." Brooke says, stroking her son's hair. "But the doctor gave you some medicine to make it not hurt as much."

"It's not working!" James pouts, eyeing the lime green cast on his right arm. "I'm so not talking to Jenny anymore."

Brooke gives James a look. She knows that Jenny Tinkler can be a tad bit accident prone. She also knows that James's injury was an _accident. _She doesn't think that James should end a friendship over a broken arm. He should forgive Jenny for the mistake. After all, it's not like she planned on breaking his arm.

"Brooke, Jenny has something for James." Tiffany Tinkler says softly, leading her obviously embarrassed daughter into the examination room. Brooke glares at James when he gives Jenny a dirty look, knowing that he knows better. There is no need to make little Jenny feel worse than she already does.

"I got you a teddy bear." She says, handing the stuffed animal to James.

"That is so sweet!" Brooke exclaims, smiling at Jenny. For a few minutes, the room is silent and everyone desperately waits for James to speak up. In the past six years, Brooke has learned a lot about James. One thing? He becomes very quiet when he's angry, sad, or thinking. Hmm, what's he feeling right now? Pain, obviously, but she wants to see him thank Jenny and forgive her for...well, you know.

"James David Diamond, say thank you!" She says sternly, giving him her famous "mom" look.

"Thank you." James utters softly. No one has a chance to protest before Jenny squeals and lunges herself onto the examination table, squeezing James. Well, at least there's a hug happening, even if it is one sided. Brooke just wants her son to be nice and show Jenny a little mercy.

"Jenny-" James gasps.

"I'll get her." Tiffany whispers, pulling the child off James. With a quick wave in their direction, she throws Jenny over her shoulder, quietly exiting the room. At that moment, Brooke realizes one thing. Jenny Tinkler is one strange, and dangerous, little girl.

* * *

**Guess who arrives in the next chapter! (Hint: It's not Logan!)**

**Review! :D**


	10. Baby Girl

**Wednesday, May 15, 2002**

Seven year old Kendall Knight furrows his eyebrows as he looks down at his newborn baby sister. When his mom announced her pregnancy, just days after Kendall's birthday, he was excited. The problem? He had no idea how babies work. Now that Kathryn Marie Knight is here, Kendall is learning that babies don't really do much.

"Mommy, babies are boring." He pouts, crossing his arms.

"Hey, she'll do more as she gets a little older." Jennifer smiles, admiring her new daughter. Katie is laying fast asleep in her crib, without a care in the world. She looks just like her father. She has the brown hair, the green eyes, pretty much everything about Katie screams "daddy." Kendall, on the other hand, takes after his mother.

"You wanna hold her?" She asks, smiling when Kendall nods. He sits in the rocking chair while Jennifer picks Katie up, kissing the sleeping baby's cheek. Then she lovingly places Katie in her son's arms, kneeling beside him. She has everything that she could possibly want; a husband, a son, and a daughter.

"Katie's pretty." Kendall states.

"She is, isn't she?" Jennifer smiles, watching the sweet baby girl. Katie seems so content in her big brother's arms. Something tells Jennifer that those two are gonna be really close. It seems like they already are. Kendall may claim that "babies are boring," but he seems to enjoy Katie more than he's willing to admit.

"I'm home!" Kyle announces, walking through the front door. A couple minutes later, he enters Katie's nursery, his face brightening when he sees Katie sleeping in her brother's arms. Normally, Jennifer would acknowledge him right away, but she's highly focused on their children.

"Hey, you're spending time with your sister, huh?" Kyle chuckles, ruffling Kendall's hair.

"Oh, she's drooling!" Jennifer giggles as a drop of drool slides down Katie's chin. She smiles and grabs a cloth from the diaper bag, wiping the drool away. She's only two days old, but she has no trouble making messes. She drools, lets milk fall from her mouth, and worst of all, soils her diaper...a lot. No, it's not a pretty sight, but it's funny at the same time.

"Hey, angel." Kyle strokes Katie's cheek. She whimpers softly, opening her pretty brown eyes.

Before Katie was born, Kendall made a promise to her. He promised that he'd always take care of her. Now that she's here, he's gonna keep that promise. He'll never let anyone hurt her and if they try to, he'll defend her.

"Mommy's gonna take a nap, okay?" Jennifer informs them before trudging to the living room. Meanwhile, Kendall and his dad stay with little Katie, enjoying the presence of a sweet and innocent little girl. James and Carlos don't have little sisters, but they think it's cool that Kendall is a big brother now.

"I wanna see Katie!"

"Hi, boys!"

A few seconds later, Kendall's best friends hurry into the nursery, ignoring Mrs. Garcia's warning not to run in the house. Jennifer had agreed to let Kendall have some friends over, but they can't stay too late because it's a school night. They're allowed to stay until seven, then their parents have to pick them up.

"Ooh, a baby!" Carlos squeals.

"It's sleeping, you dingbat!" James says, slapping the back of his head.

"Both of you shut up!" Kendall whispers harshly.

"But-"

"SHUSH!"

That was a big mistake. To Kendall and his father's frustration, the noise causes little Katie to start wailing. Wow, just when they thought that Katie was a _quiet _baby.

Well, Kendall's gonna blame James and Carlos for never shutting up. Seriously, they talk way too much. It's no wonder they've been to detention so many times.

* * *

**Some chapters will be longer than others:P This is a fairly short chapter, but I hope it's not too short!**

**Review! :D **


	11. The New Kid

**I really wish there were some way to reply to anonymous reviews:) I got one saying "You've been writing Minneapolis this whole time." Well, that's because they live in Minneapolis:) **

**If I wrote it before any of them moved there, then I apologize:P**

* * *

**Monday, October 3rd, 2005**

"14 divided by 2 is..."

"Seven?" Courtlyn states.

"That's correct!" Their teacher, Miss Evans, says as she writes the answer on the chalkboard. "Very good, Courtlyn!"

"Teacher's pet." Carlos mumbles. When Miss Evans isn't looking, Courtlyn reaches out to punch his shoulder. He barely holds back a yelp of pain, shooting her a dirty look. At that same moment, Principal Clark, steps into the room, whispering something to Miss Evans. Then the teacher nods, motioning to something (or someone) outside the room.

A small, skinny boy walks in, avoiding eye contact with...well, anyone. Courtlyn expresses some interest in the boy, but her three friends never look his way, instead choosing to engage in quiet conversation.

"Boys and girls, this is Hortense!"

A chorus of giggles fills the room and the boy's cheeks turn bright red. Courtlyn glares at her fellow classmates, watching as Miss Evans directs Hortense to the seat beside her. She gives him a semi-friendly smile, but he never returns the gesture. Oh, he's just shy! Courtlyn is certain that she can get him to come around eventually.

"Now, children, be nice to our new student." Miss Evans warns, giving that all-too-familiar "I'm warning you" look. She does that whenever she wants her students to behave. That's tough, though. This class is pretty much, well, the worse. They're all immature and rude! At least Courtlyn has a little bit of class.

"Hey, _whore-_tense." John, the 3rd grade bully, sneers. Goodness, Courtlyn can't stand him!

"Hey, butt face!" She snaps.

"Courtlyn, John, do I need to send you two to the principal's office?"

"No, Miss Evans." The two children mumble, staring down at their desks. Well, Hortense will get a break...for now.

* * *

Hortense has made a decision about his new school. In fact, he made this decision the minute he walked through the door.

He hates it.

The kids are mean, okay? People are making fun of him about everything from his name to the way he looks. That's why he's sitting in a bathroom stall during recess! He's much too upset too set foot on that playground. No one would wanna play with him anyway. After all, he's not "cool" enough.

"Hortense..."

The eight year old tenses up, hoping that this person doesn't find him. He's already been bullied enough and he'd like to get a break from it. He hasn't gotten very many breaks lately, so yeah, it would be great. It's bad enough that his mom moved them here in the first place, but school is a disaster!

"Hortense, you coming to recess or not!"

Great, it's that blonde kid. He hasn't been mean to Hortense, but he hasn't made any effort to welcome the new kid either. It's like he's afraid of looking "uncool," so he avoids any "losers." That's what Hortense thinks about him. He's one of the popular kids, so he obviously can't be seen with certain people.

"Hortense, I know you're in-there you are!"

Hortense flinches as the kid pushes the door open. However, to his surprise, he doesn't hear any mean jokes. Instead, this kid has a curious look on his face.

"Dude, what are you doing in here?"

"No one wants anything to do with me, so why not?"

"I highly doubt that's true." He reaches for Hortense's hand, pulling him out of the stall. "I'm Kendall, by the way."

"I'm H-hort-"

"I know what your name is."

* * *

"Why would your parents name you Hortense?" Carlos questions.

"Carlos, that's so rude!" James argues.

"Well!"

"Both of you need to shut up!" Kendall warns. He gives Hortense an apologetic smile, wanting him to feel somewhat welcome in their group. It took a lot of effort to get him out of the restroom, so Kendall would prefer to _not _make him feel any worse. He clearly needs some friends. You know, being the new kid and whatnot.

"Think fast, whore-tense!" John laughs, throwing some dirt at Hortense. That's when Courtlyn gets off the swing and lunges at John, knocking him down. While teachers attempt to pull her off the bully, Kendall and his two friends lead Hortense away from the chaotic scene.

Hortense Mitchell may not be the most popular kid in school, but at least he has _some_ friends.

* * *

**Review! :D**


	12. Sad Goodbye

**Sunday, June 25, 2006**

Kyle studies each option on the menu. The wooden chair is giving him a sore behind, but his stomach is growling like a raging bear so he's willing to wait. He already ordered a cheese enchilada, so he's simply reading the menu now. He just hopes that the waitress will bring his food so he can get home to his family.

"One cheese enchilada, ready to go!" A glass plate is placed in front of him, the cheesy fumes hitting his nostrils almost instantly. Without even thanking the waitress, he stabs the enchilada with his fork, gobbling it down. He probably appears piggish to his fellow customers, although he's past the point of caring.

"In other news, a blizzard is raging in Minneapolis. For the time being, everyone is being asked to stay off the roads and indoors until it blows over."

Kyle's head snaps to the TV. His right leg shakes, his heart is racing, and he's plagued with desperation to see his wife and children. He has been at work all day and he has to stay off the roads, unable to get home? He knows that he can't _walk _home unless he wants to freeze his ass off.

At that moment, something inside Kyle snaps and tells him that nothing, not even a blizzard, will keep him from his family.

Within seconds, he is out the door and slipping his motorcycle helmet on. Then he takes off, much to the concern and frustration of onlookers. He knows, riding a motorcycle in a blizzard is a ridiculous idea, but he promised Jennifer that he would be home with her and the children tonight. He has never broken a promise to her and he's not about to start now.

VROOM!

VROOM!

He is oblivious to the speed at which he is driving. He's practically racing down the street, which probably isn't a good idea, especially not in this weather. But he has always been a risk taker. He has never been afraid to push boundaries. For most of his teenage years, he practically lived in the fast lane. That is, until Jennifer got pregnant. That's when his life changed.

Little by little, he picks up speed, all while his mind drifts off to another place.

Then a screech.

Then a crash.

Then all is silent.

* * *

"Where's daddy?!" Three year old Katie stomps her feet, a low sound emitting from her throat. She refuses to quiet down until Kyle returns. That's the thing, though. He was suppose to be home _two hours ago. _

_"Oh, he's probably waiting until the storm blows over." _

She inhales, her eyes drifting to the scene outside. Snow falling from the sky, wind blowing much harder than normal. It's nothing like the winter wonderland that the residents of Minneapolis usually see.

Knock! Knock!

"Coming!" She hurries to the door, pulling it open. To her confusion, it's not her husband, but a police officer. The expression on his face is one of seriousness but sadness all at once.

"Yes, officer?" Her eyebrows furrow.

"Are you Jennifer Knight?"

"Y-yes, that's m-me."

"I'm sorry to inform you that Mr. Knight was in an accident and..he didn't make it."

That hits her like a slap in the face, nearly knocking her to the floor. Everything around her seems to stand still and all she can focus on is the fact that this man is claiming that her husband is dead. Kyle can't be dead, though. He always promised her that he would be there for her and their children. How could he leave?

"I...I'd like to be alone." She whispers, shutting the door. She presses her back against the door and she sinks the the ground, her body shaking with sobs.

* * *

"Where's daddy?!"

"I...I don't know, Katie." Kendall is equally as confused as his sister. Their mother has been crying on the couch for the past thirty minutes, while Mrs. Garcia cries with her. He can only assume that something bad happened to his father, but he hates the possibility. He can specifically remember his dad promising to take him to a hockey game soon.

"Kendall, Katie, do you know what happened?" Joanna asks, kneeling in front of the two children. Confused, they both shake their heads. "Well, your dad...had an accident. He went to heaven, okay?"

The young boy emits a tiny whimper, letting Hortense's mom pull him and Katie into a hug. Next thing he knows, four more pairs of arms wrap around him. Then he hears James, Carlos, Hortense, and Courtlyn whispering to him, telling him that it'll be okay. The saddest thing? He doesn't believe them. Not one bit.

"I'm so sorry." Joanna murmurs. "I'm so, so sorry."

* * *

**Sad chapter:'(**

**Review! :D**


	13. I Miss You

**Sunday, July 2, 2006**

"Why is Kendall sad?" Carlos frowns.

"His dad's dead, genius!" Courtlyn retorts. The four children are standing a few feet away from Mr. Diamond's new grave, where their grieving friend is standing. Kendall is standing completely still with his eyes glued to the pile of dirt, blinking every few seconds. Next to him, little Katie is standing with her hand in his.

"Kids, aren't you coming?" Brooke frowns, putting her hand on James's shoulder.

"We wanna talk to Kendall." The brunette mumbles, leading his friends in Kendall's direction. At their age, they know that death is final, which makes the situation much worse. The only problem is that they don't really know _how _to comfort Kendall. Is there any way to make him feel better?

"K-kenny?" Carlos stutters. He stands close to James, who keeps reaching out his hand before hurriedly pulling it back. When they notice the shaking of Kendall's body, they all glance at each other, trying to decide who should approach him first. Eventually, they push Hortense forward, not acknowledging his protests.

"Um, I don't have a daddy either." He slowly reaches for Kendall's shoulder.

"At least yours is alive." Kendall mutters. Hortense sniffles, looking back at the others. He has never been good at comforting people besides his mom. He could see someone crying and as sympathetic as he is, he would just stand back. He just never knows what to say or do when someone is upset.

"Yeah, but I haven't seen him since I was really little." He tries again.

"I've never met my daddy." Courtlyn states.

"I don't even know mine." James points out.

"I'll share my daddy with you." Carlos quietly inches forward, appearing next to Logan. Even that doesn't get a smile out of Kendall, but it does from Katie. She's easily amused, though. It doesn't take much to make that child smile.

"Your mommy said that you can sleep over at my house." James informs their blonde friend.

"Okay." Kendall whispers.

"Guys, come on!" Joanna calls, waving to them. Together, they turn away from the grave and begin walking to the her van. Before they can go to James's house and hang out, they have to attend the reception, which none of them care about. Well, except for Carlos. The fact that there'll be food is enough for him.

"They have a swing set!" Sylvia tells them, lifting Carlos into the middle seat. "I'm sure that'll be fun."

"Yay..." Kendall's voice is low with a bit of an edge. What will it take to make him happy again?

* * *

"Do you want something to eat?" Brooke offers.

"No." The children murmur in unison.

"Oh...okay."

"So...my mom might get her own cosmetics company." James mentions, his eyes glued to the TV screen.

Kendall inhales, pulling his knees to his chest. He looks at all four of his friends, almost feeling bad that he's acting so...off. Chances are, it's probably bringing them down. That's not what he's intending to do. He just can't bring himself to be happy. His dad has always been there, so why not now?

"Okay, I've had enough of this!" Courtlyn stumbles to her feet. "Kendall, we're sorry that your dad is dead! We just really wanna see you happy again and this silence is driving me CRAZY!"

The young girl groans, flopping onto the couch and burying her face in a pillow. Kendall eyes her with his eyebrows furrowed, although he realizes why she's freaking out. He knows that he's not as fun when he's sad. Who is? Exactly, NO ONE.

"I miss my dad." He whispers.

"We know." Carlos crawls onto the couch, sitting beside him. Although he was initially reluctant to do this, he finally reaches out and pulls Kendall into a hug, followed by the others joining in.

* * *

**A new chapter of Stuck In My Head will be posted tomorrow! :)**

**Review! :D**

**PS: This chapter has 106 reviews and only TWELVE chapters:O**


	14. Welcome To Middle School

**Hey, I'm gonna stop putting dates on each chapter because it's too confusing for me:) It causes me to get the ages and the kids grades all mixed up:/**

**Also, Courtlyn's FC is gonna be Selena Gomez from now on:)**

* * *

"This is it, ya'll." Courtlyn breathes. "Middle school."

The five children look at the two story building, their nerves growing stronger with every minute. Well, four of them are nervous. Courtlyn, not so much. Then again, Courtlyn isn't really scared of anything. She's the one that protects them when needed. For example, John was picking on Hortense in fifth grade and let's just say that it earned him a nice wedgie.

"I think I'm gonna puke." Hortense gulps. Out of nowhere, he runs to a nearby garbage can and empties the contents of his stomach. That's typical Hortense for you. The minute he sits foot in a semi-stressful situation, he loses it...big time.

"Well, at least he didn't throw up on me." Courtlyn shrugs, walking through the front doors.

"You couldn't have waited for us?" Kendall calls out.

"No thanks!"

* * *

"Welcome, boys and girls!" Mrs. Parton says, writing her name on the board.

"Are you related to Dolly Parton?" Courtlyn asks, not even bothering to raise her hand.

Mrs. Parton chuckles, although a bit awkwardly. Courtlyn giggles and high fives Carlos, while Kendall and Hortense look at them with disbelief. Meanwhile, James is flirting with some girl named Savannah. She's a cheerleader, she's popular, and she wouldn't allow herself to be seen with James Diamond. Why does he even try?

"No, no, I'm not." Mrs. Parton answers, jumping when Carlos burps. A chorus of "eww" comes from the girls in the room, except for Courtlyn, who bursts out laughing. The middle aged teacher cringes, grumbling under her breath as she turns back to the board.

"Anyway," She says, trying to stay calm. "In this course, you will be learning all about science! Who knows what science is?"

"Sheesh, we're not retarded!" Courtlyn snorts.

"Science is the study of the structure and behavior of...things." Hortense answers.

"Nerd!" John coughs. Courtlyn sends a threatening look in his direction, just like Mrs. Parton is doing. She's officially had enough of John bullying Hortense. This...ends...now.

"Hey, jerk!" She gets up and approaches his desk. "Call him one more name and I swear I'll-"

"Kids-"

"Oh, like loser?" John responds. That's when Courtlyn snaps, yanking John out of his seat and shoving him to the ground. Soon, the two preteens are rolling on the ground, while the class erupts in chaos. Kendall, James, and Hortense sit there with their faces covered, especially when Carlos decides to "help" Courtlyn teach John a "lesson."

"This is not how I wanted my first day of middle school to turn out." Kendall whispers to his friends.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

Great, the principal showed up.

So far, sixth grade has proved to be a _big time disaster._

* * *

"How could you embarrass me like that?!" Hortense rants, pacing in front of Carlos and Courtlyn. Since he was the subject of Courtlyn and John's little fight, he also got called to the principal's office so he can tell the principal his side of the story. John is talking to the man right now and Hortense is reprimanding his friends for _humiliating _him.

"Hortense-" Carlos starts.

"Yeah, it's not that big of a deal." Courtlyn insists. For a moment, Hortense is silent, then he suddenly begins rambling in Latin. Yeah, he actually knows two foreign languages: French and Latin. He always yells in Latin whenever he's mad. If Carlos and Courtlyn didn't know any better, they'd think that he's actually gonna kill them.

"No big deal? No big deal?!" He yelps before continuing his incoherent ranting. Kendall and James are peeking through the office window, both in a fit of laughter. Ugh, don't they know that this is a private conversation?

"Hortense?" Principal Clark calls as he and John exit his office. "May I speak with you?"

"Okay." Hortense mumbles, his cheeks turning bright red. With one last glare at his two friends, he follows the principal, making sure to keep his head down.

* * *

**Review! :D**


	15. Sleepover Spies

"Do you see anything?"

"No!"

"Seriously, do you?"

"No, Carlos! Now shut up!" James whispers, looking through the binoculars. He has them pointed directly at Courtlyn's bedroom window while she enjoys a sleepover with Savannah, Emma, and Lila. He and Carlos know that spying on a girl's sleepover may not be the "smartest" idea, but they're just so curious about what goes on at those things.

"Dude, Savannah's taking her shirt off!" He laughs. Yeah, he's eleven, but seeing Savannah in jeans and a Hello Kitty bra is exciting for whatever reason. He's never seen anything like this before. In fact, he's so thrilled that he steps aside to let _Carlos _look.

"Whoa, a shirtless chick!" His hyper friend gasps.

"Yep, Carlitos." He nods. "A shirtless chick."

He suddenly whines as Courtlyn shuts the blinds, not quite wanting this dream to be over yet. Look, Savannah is the most popular girl in the sixth grade. She's beautiful, she's talented, and she's fairly nice to most people. That is, unless they're fat and nerdy looking like James. Well, he plans on trying out for the hockey team, so maybe that'll help his image.

"Great, the blinds are shut!" Carlos mutters.

"Just this window." James winks, sneaking around the corner. There's another window for them to look through, as long as they don't get caught. Seriously, the last thing they need is for girls to catch them creeping on a sleepover.

"Hey, Courtlyn, who do you think is the cutest guy in school?" Savannah smirks.

"Um...I don't know."

"Come on, Court." Emma giggles. "You have to tell us."

"Yeah, you have to." Lila agrees. "And be completely honest!"

"Well...probably Hortense."

James and Carlos start coughing almost immediately, forgetting that they were suppose to stay hidden. As soon as they cough, the girls look in their direction and Courtlyn storms over to the window, pulling it up.

"James? Carlos? What are you doing?!"

"Oh, um, we, um, we..." James laughs, looking at Carlos for help. His short Latino friend isn't much use. The boy is too busy staring at the other three girls with his eyes wide open and his jaw dropped. Groaning, James smacks the back of his friend's head, wishing that he could make himself disappear.

"Girls, how should we punish them?" Courtlyn questions.

"Hmm, I think I have an idea." Savannah has a mischievous glint in her eyes and James doesn't like it one bit. Something tells him that he's gonna be having nightmares for a _long _time.

* * *

"Are you kidding me?!"

"No, boys." Courtlyn takes out her camera, quietly giggling with her three BFFs. Carlos keeps looking at James, but they're both covered in makeup and are beyond speechless. Doesn't Courtlyn know that guys don't wear makeup? Carlos, for one, is one hundred percent _man_. It seems that these ladies have forgotten that.

"You guys look sooo cute." Emma chuckles as Courtlyn snaps a picture, either for her scrapbook or for an online photo sharing website. Okay, can Carlos scream now? Gosh, he and James look like _clowns_! He's so embarrassed...

"Awww, they're like little barbie dolls." Lila coos, pinching James's cheek. Both boys keep their heads down, their faces turning bright red. Well, they'll certainly never live this down. Carlos is almost sure of it.

* * *

**Just a short little update for you guys:)**

**Review! :D**


	16. One Crazy Night

**Just wanna mention that I do not condone some of the things that are done in this chapter:) Just saying, they're pretty rebellious and irresponsible here:/**

* * *

Five year old Katie Knight smiles mischievously as she hides behind a bush outside the middle school, watching all the "big kids" arrive at the middle school winter dance. She was suppose to be spending the night at their next door neighbor's house, which happens to be right across from her brother's school. While Ms. Martin was in the restroom, Katie used the opportunity to sneak out of the house and across the street. She _really _wants to attend the dance.

Oh, the check-in lady is gone! Now's Katie's chance!

In a hurry, she jumps out from behind the bush and rushes into the school. She giggles happily as she makes her way into the gym, admiring all the pretty decorations and older kids. Her mommy said that she can't attend the dance, but she begs to differ. When Katie Knight wants something, she'll get it.

She doesn't wanna be noticed, though. So she hides under the bleachers and simply watches from afar. She can even see Kendall and a really pretty blonde girl talking near the DJ booth. Hey, Katie knows that girl! Her name is Savannah and she babysat Katie once. Well, with Kendall. Katie thinks that they like each other.

Then she notices Courtlyn and some other kids, including James, walking out the back door. She's honestly curious about what they're doing, so she decides to "investigate." Quietly, she sneaks toward the same exit, making absolutely certain that no one sees her. She ends up following them out to the parking lot.

"Yo, check out what I got." One girl snickers, reaching into the back of a car. Katie hides behind another vehicle, frowning. The big kids start laughing as she pulls out a pack of...well, whatever it is. Katie's only five, but she's a lot smarter than most kids her age. She knows what they're about to do is bad.

"One for Courtlyn, one for Jamez, one for Chris, one for Kayla, one for Jeff, and one for me." The girl says, handing a can to each of the , they open the cans and sip from them. Katie can't believe what she's...what is Courtlyn taking out of her jacket. Hey, Katie's uncle uses those little sticks a lot! Her mommy calls them "cigarettes."

"Court, where the hell did you get these?!"

"Stole em' from my mom." Courtlyn sits her can on the trunk of the car.

"Is it true that smoking can help you lose weight?" James questions. Katie's jaw drops, then she huffs angrily. Her mommy always tells her that cigarettes and alcohol are BAD! So why are these people using them! She's conflicted between telling or pretending that she never saw this.

"Try it." Courtlyn encourages.

"Hey, what if someone sees us?"

"Everyone's too busy with the dance!" The "beer girl" insists. Katie doesn't know her name. The only two that she does know are Courtlyn and James. My goodness, she feels like her innocence is fading right in front of her. "Hey, look over there!"

Katie looks in the same direction, furrowing her eyebrows. Kendall and Savannah are coming outside too. Her eyes widen as Savannah leans against the brick wall and accepts a _kiss _from Kendall. Okay, Katie thought that eleven/twelve year olds were suppose to be _innocent_. Is this what growing up is like? If it is, Katie _never _wants to grow up.

"What the-"

Oh, Katie forgot that James likes Savannah too. Well, this is gonna put a dent in his and Kendall's friendship. Katie may be a little girl, but even she knows that you don't kiss your best friend's crush unless you want trouble.

"Ewww.."

"Hey, what was that?"

Katie gasps, trying to make herself even less visible. It clearly doesn't work because she soon finds herself looking up at six very annoyed middle schoolers. James looks more annoyed than any of them. Suddenly, he picks her up and throws her over his shoulder, ignoring her very loud protests.

"LEMMME DOWN, YOU BIG DOOF!" She screams, flailing her arms and legs.

"Katie?!"

"Um...hello, big brother!"

"How did you-"

"Ms. Martin's house is right across the street, you know."

"Ugh, I'm calling mom." Kendall groans, taking out his cell phone. Katie whines, becoming still as she watches her brother dial their mom's phone. She was hoping to have _fun _tonight, but Kendork just had to go and ruin it. Then there's the fact that she saw his classmates doing things that she's almost certain they're not suppose to do.

She'll never be able to unsee what she witnessed tonight.

* * *

"Mommy!" Katie whines as she is led into her room.

"What were you thinking, young lady?!" Jennifer scolds. Katie pouts as she sits on her bed, sticking her tongue out at Kendall when he smirks. Oh, he is such a butt sometimes! Well, two can play that game!

"I saw Kendall making out with a girl!" She blurts out. She smiles when their mother turns around to face her oldest child.

"Excuse me?"

"Mom, she's BSing you." Kendall laughs anxiously. Jennifer glares at him, suddenly grabbing his ear and dragging him out of the room. Katie happily skips to the door, shutting it and grabbing her favorite stuffed teddy bear.

"Some middle schoolers are so weird, Teddy."

* * *

**Well, Courtlyn and James were irresponsible, but wasn't Katie adorable? *squeal***

**Review! :D**


	17. Late Night Breakup

**WARNING: I was kind of tired when I wrote this:P**

* * *

"It totally sucks that your mom won't let me spend the night!" Savannah complains, following Kendall into the kitchen.

"That's my mom for ya." Kendall mutters, grabbing a Coke from the fridge. He doesn't really see why he can't have a sleepover with his girlfriend, but his mom claims that it's "inappropriate." You know, some of the rules in the Knight are totally unreasonable. He's twelve years old! He's old enough to have a girl sleep over.

"Hmm, do you think we could possibly _break _that rule? Just one time?" Savannah suggests. Kendall watches her for a moment, not entirely sure how it's possible to break such a rule. He could always hide her in the closet, but his mom would end up finding her. He does have one idea, though.

"Well, you could always pretend to leave and sneak back in after my mom goes to bed."

"Smart idea, Knight." Savannah nods, walking over to him. _"Very _smart idea."

* * *

"Good night, honey." Mama Knight whispers, kissing Kendall's forehead before leaving the room. Once the door is shut, Kendall's eyes open and he sneaks over to the window, lifting it open. Savannah giggles as she climbs through the window, proudly walking past her boyfriend. Deep down, he knows that it's wrong to disobey his mom, but he _really _wants to spend more time with his girlfriend.

"Are we gonna cuddle or not?" She asks him, crawling under the covers. Kendall frowns, glancing at his bedroom door. Should he do this? What if his mom were to walk in? What if Katie walks in and decides to tell on him? Oh, that would be so embarrassing! More importantly, he would be _grounded._

"Get over here, baby." She says, sounding way too cute for his liking. Groaning softly, he tip toes over to the bed, laying beside her. Then he notices her looking at a picture on his beside table. It was taken at a Minnesota Wild hockey game with James, Carlos, Logan, and Courtlyn.

"You know, I don't know why you're friends with Courtlyn." She informs him. "I mean, she's such a bitch, not to mention a total slut. I guarantee she'll be the first out of our class to get pregnant."

Kendall furrows his eyebrows, not liking the way Savannah is bashing his friend. She has always been a little sassy, but she has never been this rude before. He thought he knew her better than that...

"Ugh, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Um, I just wish you wouldn't talk about my friends like that."

"Kenny, come on." She groans. "You know that your friends are dorks."

Kendall sits up, glaring at her. When did she decide to start acting like a witch? She knows how much his friends mean to him and she still has the nerve to talk trash? You know, he's starting to wonder if this relationship is really a good idea. If he's gonna date a girl, he wants someone sweet and not stuck up, the exact opposite of Savannah.

"I think you should go."

"Excuse me?"

"Go." He gets up. "Now."

"You know what, Kendork? We're _done." _Savannah retorts, storming over to the window. Kendall huffs as his _ex_-girlfriend climbs out, but not really caring one bit. The truth is, she was getting on his nerves anyway.

* * *

"How did you sleep, honey?"

"Good, I guess." Kendall shrugs.

"Is something bothering you?"

"No, mother."

Katie is watching him the most annoying smile ever. Seriously, it's driving him crazy. It's as if she knows about what went on last night. For the love of God, she's six years old! How much could she possibly know? It's times like this that make him wonder if she's from another planet or something.

"Sorry about the breakup." She whispers. He gives her a horrified look, seriously hoping that she'll keep her mouth shut. If she rats on him, she will be in HUGE trouble. Luckily, giving her "the look" usually shuts her up...and it works this time too. The minute he narrows his eyes at her, that little mouth _closes_.

"Honey, I'm gonna be honest with you." Mama Knight tells him. "I don't know if Savannah is the right girl for you. She seems...I don't even know."

"Trust me, mom." Kendall says through his teeth. "You won't have to worry about that anymore."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it! :D**

**Review? :D**

**PS: Losing My Mind will be updated sometime tomorrow afternoon! Hopefully not _too_ late:P**


	18. Violated

"Dude, I am so forwarding these pictures." Courtlyn's boyfriend of six months, Kyle, snickers. "They're pretty hot."

James frowns as Kyle hands him the phone, looking at the screen. He doesn't like what he sees at all. The pictures are of Courtlyn _undressing _while looking out the window. It appears that Kyle snapped the pictures of her without her knowing. He's thinking about sending them out? You see, this is why James didn't like the idea of Courtlyn dating an eighth grader.

"You kidding, right?" He asks, clutching the phone.

"Hell yeah!" Kyle replies, taking the phone back. James shakes his head, watching as Kyle begins walking away. Okay, he _cannot _allow that jerk to ruin Courtlyn's reputation. She has a lot going for her and it'll all be ruined if that pictures gets sent out!

"Not on my watch!" He growls before jumping on Kyle's back.

"HEY!"

"You better delete that picture!" James warns, trying his best to grab the phone. Pretty soon the boys are rolling on the ground, fighting over the phone. Before anyone knows it, a crowd has gathered to watch the scene, forgetting about the risk of teachers or even the principal catching a glimpse of the disagreement.

"And...send!" Kyle smirks up at James, who's heart immediately sinks the minute he sees this guy press the SEND button. Beeps come from all phones and people rush to get a look, beginning to snicker and whisper when they see what's most likely that very scandalous picture of one of their classmates.

"Hey, what's-"

The hallway is hit with dead silence when Courtlyn arrives. James's face is bright red, while Kyle has the nerve to _laugh. _James's heart shatters when someone finally yells "SLUT" right at Courtlyn. Oh, how dare they!

"Wow, Court," Savannah gasps through her giggles. "Only twelve and already a porn star in training."

"Excuse me?" Courtlyn scoffs, ripping the phone from Savannah's hand. "What the hell is this?"

"Sorry, babe!" Kyle says, pushing James off of him. "I couldn't resist!"

"_You _took these? And you sent them out to everyone?" Tears begin filling Courtlyn's eyes. Gosh, James wants to kill Kyle for making his friend cry! He may be just the fat kid, but he doesn't let anyone's perception of him stop him from defending the ones he cares about. If he has to, he'll make everyone pay for what they're doing.

"Okay, I'm gonna kill him!" Carlos yelps, but Kendall grabs him just as he lunges at Kyle.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Mr. Schneider, the sixth grade math teacher, asks angrily. Everyone becomes silent again, awkwardly waiting for him to speak again. If they think that Mr. Schneider's angry, they don't even realize how infuriated James is.

"You two, to the principal's office _now." _Mr. Schneider points to James and Kyle, motioning for them to follow. With their heads down, they follow him, leaving the other students to taunt and torment Courtlyn.

* * *

Courtlyn cries as she hurries into the restroom after fourth period. So far, the day has been pure hell. People even posted the picture on Facebook and there are comments about what a whore she is. Then there's the people that torment her in person. Even Savannah and Emma have turned on her, snickering every time she walks by.

"Hey, skank!"

"Shut up, Savannah!" She says harshly, washing her hands. Savannah only laughs in response, leaning against the wall. She huffs, turning the water off. She is so close to punching Savannah right across the face.

"Hey, if you wanna be the school slut, be my guest."

"You are such a _bitch_, you know that?" Courtlyn growls through her teeth. She tenses up as Savannah moves in on her, preventing her from going _anywhere. _Now that she was really seeing who this girl really is, she doesn't know why she was friends with her in the first place. She was mean, manipulative, and just plain _evil._

"Yeah? Well, it's better than being a _slut."_

In an instant, she throws her fist against Savannah's cheek, yelling "SCREW YOU, SAVANNAH!" before storming out of the bathroom. She decides at that moment that she doesn't wanna stay here for a minute longer. So instead of going to her next class, she hurries out the front doors.

* * *

**Kyle=big jerk**

**Savannah=also a jerk**

**Anyone think they should date?**

**Review! :D**


	19. I'm Leaving

"So you're not coming back next year?" Hortense frowns, looking at Courtlyn.

"No," Courtlyn sighs, crossing her arms. The girl turned to look at the packed moving truck, tears filling her eyes. She tried to staying at school for a few more days, but the bullying over her "photo scandal" became too much and she (and her mom) chose homeschooling for the remainder of the year. Now it's the beginning of summer and they've made the decision to move somewhere else.

"Come on," Carlos whines. "Who cares if most of the school thinks you're a slut?"

That doesn't earn him a very positive response from Courtlyn. She shoots him a dirty look, truly not in the mood for his attempt at optimism. If she actual _was _a slut, she could understand the gossip, but her jerk of an ex-boyfriend took a picture of her without permission and made it into something that it's not.

"Okay, losers." She inhales. "Group hug!"

"Don't leave us!" James yells, throwing his arms around her waist. She squeaks as all four guys wrap their arms around her, even giggling when Kendall kisses her cheek. She sure does love those four dorks, no matter how weird they can be. James, AKA Mr. Pervert, claimed that the picture was "quite appealing."

"Are you dorks gonna lemme go?" She gasps as they squeeze her tighter.

"Courtlyn, it's time to go!"

"I've gotta go, you guys." Courtlyn says, starting to walk toward the moving truck. Then she remembers one important thing that she certainly doesn't wanna forget. Turning around, she runs back over to Hortense, suddenly giving him a gentle (and surprisingly lengthy) kiss before following her mom to the vehicle.

"Dude, she just _kissed _you." Carlos's eyes are wide open.

"I-I-I-" Hortense stutters. "I know..."

Courtlyn smiles as she crawls into the front passenger's seat, but it becomes a frown when her mom starts the engine. So this is it. She was moving to Austin, far away from her four best friends, her _brothers. _Although she was relieved to be getting a new start, she couldn't help but feel like she and her mom were making the wrong decision.

Well, it was too late now.

* * *

"You boys can talk to her on the phone, email her, text-" Jennifer tries to assure them.

"Mom, she's been with us since kindergarten." Kendall murmurs, wrapping his arms around his knees. "It's not the same."

Hortense isn't about to argue with that, especially not after Courtlyn had _kissed _him. He never thought that he would be getting his first kiss anytime soon and definitely not from Courtlyn. Before her little photo incident, she was one of the most popular girls in the sixth grade. Why would she be interested in someone like Hortense Mitchell?

"She kissed Logan!" Carlos blurts out.

"Thanks, genius." Hortense grumbles, crossing his arms. Did Carlos really have to say that in front of Kendall's mom? His embarrassment only grows stronger when Katie, age six, decides to say "ooooh..." She's cute, but really annoying. She does everything she can to drive her brother and his friends insane.

"Oh, really?" Jennifer teased, making Hortense blush even more.

"On a different note, I'm gonna work out _a lot _this summer so I can look amazing when we go back to school." James sounds incredibly proud of himself. At twelve years old, he was still quite overweight, so Hortense thought it would be good for him to drop a few pounds. It wasn't about how he looked, but obesity can seriously damage a person's health. James should lose weight before it spirals out of control.

"That's a wonderful idea, sweetie." Jennifer sits a plate of pizza bagels on the coffee table, giving the boys a smile. "Enjoy these!"

"We will!" The boys say in unison, each grabbing a pizza bagel. Maybe Kendall's mom is right. Courtlyn might not be here in person, but they can always keep in touch.

* * *

**I may update Losing My Mind later, but I wanted to give you a new Journey chapter:) However, a new chapter of Losing My Mind will DEFINITELY be posted tomorrow if I don't do it today:)**

**Review! :D**


	20. Brand New You

"Wow," Brooke says, looking at her son. "You lost all that weight in one summer."

"Yep!" James states, looking at his reflection in the bedroom mirror. He spent the entire summer working out and getting in shape for the new school year. Now it's finally here, seventh grade, and he's ready to show off the new James Diamond. He knows it's stupid to care what others think, but he's really looking forward to impressing the ladies and his other classmates.

"Let's go, honey." Brooke kisses his cheek, handing him his backpack and ushering him down the hallway...and out the door.

Well, here goes nothing.

* * *

"Is that _James?_"

"Oh my gosh, he's hot now!"

"He can have me if he wants..."

James stays cool, calm, and collected as he walks down the hall to his English class, which he thankfully shares with all three of his best friends. It's just gonna be weird not having Courtlyn cracking jokes and basically annoying the hell out of the teachers. He truly missed her, but she kept in touch all summer.

"Dude, you look cooler than you ever have!" Carlos pats his shoulder. James rolls his eyes in response, but accepts a fist bump from his best friend. Kendall and Hortense both nod in agreement, which adds to James's confidence quite a bit. Kendall is one of the popular guys and if he says something (or someone) is/looks cool, then it's cool. People respect Kendall, you know?

"Hey, do you think Savannah would-" He starts.

"Hi, James."

"S-savannah-" He stutters, gulping. She apparently died her hair a dark brown over the summer and, honestly...she looks amazing. He's a little uncertain about her after the way she bullied Courtlyn after the photo thing, but she's still one of the prettiest and most popular girls in the seventh grade.

"You know, I was wondering if you...might like to hang out this weekend."

"You haven't seen me all summer, Savannah." He pointed out. It's true! Last year, he was fat and she had no interest in him. Now he's lost the weight and he's actually good looking, and now she wants to go out with him? He knows that she's just a shallow skunk bag, but he can't help being tempted to say yes to her offer. Come on, it's Savannah!

"My daddy has an indoor pool." She whispers.

"James-" Kendall warns.

"I'll be there!" James nods, while his three friends smack their palms to their twelve year old faces. Hey, is he suppose to turn down a girl with lots of money and an indoor pool? Maybe it's stupid, but he can't resist that! He better pick out a stylish outfit!

"My limo will pick you up at four tomorrow." She tells him, lightly touching his hand before turning around in her desk. Their teacher just arrived and it's time for class to begin. James has a feeling that he won't be paying much attention to the lesson, though, since he just snagged a "date" with his dream girl.

* * *

**The next chapter will be James's "date" with Savannah:D **

**Review! :D**


	21. First Date

"This is your house?" James gasps as Savannah leads him into the large mansion.

"Sure is!" Savannah smiles, sitting her backpack down. James is only twelve, but he can't help his eyes widening as Savannah bends over to put it down. He couldn't believe that a simple makeover could have such an effect on his personality. He had an amazing day at school, something he'd never really experienced until yesterday.

"Just how rich is your family?" He scoffs, looking around.

"Millionaires." She whispers in his ear, flipping her newly brunette locks over her shoulder. He can't believe that he's hanging out with the hottest girl in school. The fact that she actually wants him here makes it even better. Before he became good looking, she basically ignored him. Now she's actually interested!

"Now, let's talk about those friends of yours, specifically Courtlyn." She states, leading him over to the couch. "I...I'm _really _sorry that I was such a bitch to her. Now that I think of it, Kyle is an ass anyway. I know I'd be mad if someone leaked my private photos like he did."

James gulps as she brings her face close to his. Their lips are only inches apart. Is he about to get his first kiss? Savannah Monroe is totally about to kiss him. He can't believe that he's about to make out with a _cheerleader _and member of the student council. This is definitely a major improvement to his self esteem.

"Let's go for a swim!" She suggests, leaving him without a single kiss. He'll get a kiss before the day's over, though. He's not leaving the Monroe household without a kiss. His friends think it's a terrible idea for him to hang out with her, but they'll be quite impressed if he tells him that he kissed the girl!

"I wore my bathing suit under my clothes today." Savannah giggles, slipping the garments off. Sure enough, she's got a zebra striped bikini on. Luckily, James also wore his swim shorts, so all he has to do is take his shirt off. He almost wants to scream when Savannah gets into the pool, just because she looks so attractive doing it.

"Get in, dork!" She calls out. Reluctantly, James steps into the pool, swimming over to the brunette. He gets the surprise of a lifetime when she wraps her arms around his neck, pushing him against the pool wall and kissing him passionately. He isn't sure if this is appropriate behavior for two twelve year olds, but he doesn't exactly have much control over himself at the moment.

"You like me, don't you?" She whispers.

"Y-yeah-"

"Well, let's-"

"James, she's evil!"

"What?!" He groans, looking toward the entrance. It appears that Hortense decided to lead a mission to stop him from _enjoying _his date. On the bright side, he already got his kiss. It still irritates him that they were so rudely interrupted, though.

"What are you freaks doing here?!" Savannah snaps.

"We're here to rescue our best friend." Carlos retorts, pulling James out of the pool. Savannah huffs as she follows, reaching for James and pulling him next to her. Without even thinking, he puts his arm around her waist, looking at his friends. He and Savannah are clearly a couple now and they'll just have to accept that.

"Dude, you're seriously gonna date her?" Kendall scoffs.

"Jealous because I'm not yours anymore?" She asks him. Yeah, James won't forget the fact that Kendall and Savannah were once a couple. Of course, it's not like they were ever serious, so James doesn't think it'll hurt for him to have her for himself.

"Never in a million years will I _ever _be jealous of _anyone _dating _you." _Kendall responds. "In fact, I feel sorry for them."

"Guys," James says calmly. "Let's be nice, okay?"

He smiles at Savannah, then he does the same to his friends. They may not approve of Savannah, but he's sure that they'll at least try to accept her.

* * *

**Anyone want a double or triple update? I won't be going to bed for a few more hours, so I'd probably have time for another oneshot or two:) **

**Oh, and the next two chapters will be sort of...dark:/**

**Review! :D**


	22. Trauma

**WARNING: Implied rape/sexual assault:( This is the first time I've ever included such a mature/serious theme, so I'm a little nervous:/**

* * *

_"I don't like the name Hortense. Call him Logan from now on!"_

Logan. Hortense Mitchell is now _Logan _Mitchell. James's mom decided that Hortense was a terrible name for a teenage boy and demanded that they start calling him Logan. Of course, his mom still calls him Hortense, but his friends and teachers will call him Logan from now on. Truthfully, that's perfectly fine with him. He's never been that crazy about his birth name, especially since it has been part of the reason for him being a victim of bullying for many years.

It's summer before his freshman year of his high school and he's vacationing in Texas with his mom. She thought it would be fun for them to visit Corpus Cristi, which is actually where Courtlyn has been living since the summer before seventh grade. He kind of hopes that he'll run into her.

He was surprised when his mom agreed to let him walk along the beach by himself. She's working on her tan, so her son is enjoying some time to himself. He's sure if Courtlyn will be coming since, according to her Myspace, she's got a date tonight. She's apparently been seeing this guy from her school. He's a senior, though. Logan thought she would have learned a lesson about dating older guys after the Kyle incident.

He's just about to sit down and rest when he notices a worrisome sight across the street. A very young looking raven haired girl is being roughly dragged down the sidewalk by an older looking man and even worse, the girl looks exactly like _Courtlyn. _

He should probably know better than to get involved, but if that's Courtlyn, then he has to do something. He's not about to let anyone harm her, even if it means getting hurt himself. So he hurries across the busy street, then begins tip toeing after the girl and the suspicious figure dragging her along.

"Let me go!" She screams. Logan peers around the corner frowning as the girl is shoved against the wall. When he sees her face, his concern is confirmed. The girl _is _Courtlyn.

It gets worse, though. Logan is forced to watch with absolutely horror as his friend is shoved to the ground, while the taller figure climbs on top and begins undressing the terrified young girl. She screams for help, but there's nothing Logan can do. Instead, he turns around and walks back around the front of the building, desperately trying to block out her frantic cries.

Minutes later, the cries stop and only Courtlyn's attacker emerges. With tears in his eyes, Logan hurries back to where he witnessed his friend being brutally violated. He arrives just in time to find Courtlyn slipping her clothes back on while shaking violently. He's not sure what to do, especially since he hasn't exactly kept in touch with her lately.

"Court, it's me."

"Get away from me!" She screams, jumping to her feet. He doesn't know what to think, since he's never seen her be scared of anyone before. She's acting like she's afraid that _he _might harm her. Doesn't she know that he only wants to help her?

"Hey," He whispers, reaching out to her. "It's me, Court. It's Lo-Hortense."

"D-don't touch me." She sobs, backing away from him. "Don't!"

He watches helplessly as she runs past him, wishing that he could turn back time...and prevent that sick person from taking her innocence away.

* * *

**Was it okay? It's a serious issue and I wanted to do it justice, so I hope I succeeded!**

**Review! :D**


	23. Too Young

**_Well, here's the THIRD update for tonight:) _**

**_WARNING: Teen pregnancy/mentions of rape:( Sad and very serious stuff_**

* * *

_Positive_

Courtlyn sits on a closed public restroom toilet with tears in her eyes, clutching a positive pregnancy test in her hand. It has been two months since she was attacked and ripped of her innocence. She has had nightmares ever since, but she had a tiny bit of hope that she might be able to forget what happened. Obviously, she was wrong. Here she is, fourteen, and pregnant with her rapist's baby.

She feels so dirty. So, so, so dirty. She doesn't wanna be a teen mom, especially not like this. Scratch that, she doesn't wanna be a teen mom _period. _She doesn't wanna have a baby right now. She wants to be in her twenties, married, and with a college degree. She _can't _have a baby right now.

She soon bursts into sobs, leaning her head against the wall. Her, a mom? Not at fourteen. She has always looked at teen mothers as these stupid, vulnerable girls that let a guy rope them into having sex before their lives have even started, but now she's gonna be one of them. Only most of them gave up their virginity consensually, not like this.

"You shouldn't exist." She looks down at her stomach, hatred filling her. Deep down, she feels bad for saying that to an innocent little baby, but that's not a baby conceived from love. That's a baby conceived out of nothing but hatred and violence. She'll be damned if she agrees to raise this child. Someone else can have it!

"Carlos." She breathes. "Carlos can help me."

* * *

"La la la..." Carlos sings a random tune, washing his hands. Suddenly, his cell phone rings and he takes it out of his pocket, frowning at the sight of Courtlyn's name on the screen. With shaking hands, he presses the talk button. "Hello?"

"C-carlos, can we talk?"

"Yeah." Carlos nods, leaning against the wall. It's a good thing this is a single person bathroom. He really doesn't want a teacher catching him with his cell phone, especially since Courtlyn is clearly upset and needs someone to talk to.

"I...I'm pregnant."

The world seems to freeze at that moment. No, Courtlyn isn't pregnant. She's fourteen and that's...Carlos isn't judging, but that's wrong on so many levels. He doesn't even know what to say to her!

"Court-"

"I was raped!"

Well, that changes the situation completely. Carlos's eyes are now filled with tears, but he knows that Courtlyn wouldn't lie about that. It's a serious situation and he knows Courtlyn. He's known her since he was, like, four years old. He grew up with her and he has gotten to know her really well. He just doesn't understand why anyone would take away her innocence like that.

"Court, what-"

"Two months ago...I was in Corpus and I was raped." She whispers, her voice breaking. "Hor-Lo-_someone_ saw me, but...it was too late. I think he wanted to help me, but...he didn't."

Courtlyn may have stopped herself from saying any names, but Carlos already knows what she was gonna say. Logan...Two months ago, Logan was in Texas, in the same city where Courtlyn has been living for the past two years. Did Logan seriously witness their best friend getting raped? Even worse, did he do absolutely nothing to help her?

"Look, I've gotta get to class, but I'm gonna call you later, okay?" He whispers.

"O-kay."

"Take care of yourself." He murmurs before hanging up. His eyes narrow as he looks at his reflection in the mirror. This could have been prevented if Logan had just called the police, but he _didn't._

* * *

"You jerk!"

"What-" Logan frowns, turning around just as Carlos shoves him against the lockers.

"Dude, what are you doing?!" Kendall yells at the angry boy.

"Courtlyn's pregnant!" Carlos yells, pushing Logan again. "She was raped and Logan didn't do a thing to help her! He witnessed it and he didn't call the police or anything!"

Logan whimpers, trying to block out Carlos's screaming. A small crowd has gathered now, fellow students whispering to each other. Logan's absolutely humiliated. Carlos is basically telling the whole school that Logan witnessed someone being raped. Doesn't he realize how that makes Logan feel?

Does he think it was easy for Logan to witness that? He had nightmares for weeks! His mom doesn't even know! All she knows is that his mood has changed since their vacation. He has assured her numerous times that he had a wonderful time, but he can't bring himself to tell her the whole truth about what he saw.

Kendall and James can't even say anything, probably because they're too shocked. Well, they have no idea how Logan feels. He would say something, but he's much too horrified by Carlos's behavior.

"Her life is _ruined _because of you." Carlos snarls. Finally, Logan shoves him away and runs down the hall, tears rolling down his cheeks.

* * *

**Does anyone else feel kind of bad for Logan? **

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	24. My World

"You're doing great, honey!"

"SHUT UP!" Courtlyn screams before giving another hard push. Nine months after the attack, she's lying in the delivery room, giving birth at only fifteen years old. It hurts like hell too. She shouldn't be going through this right now, yet here she is. She feels completely helpless and she didn't get an epidural so that makes it even worse.

"Just a couple more pushes, okay?" Her doctor encourages. She growls angrily, crying as her mom helps her sit up. "Now, push!"

She pushes as hard as she can, crying at the top of her lungs. Right now, she seriously hates Logan because he didn't save her from this torture! If he had stopped that jerk from raping her, she wouldn't be having a baby at fifteen. She's not ready to be a mom! She's not! She's gonna have a son, though, and there's nothing she can do to change that.

"One...two...three...four...five...six...seven...e ight...nine...ten!" The doctor chants. She gasps as he reaches ten, falling back onto the pillows. She has never experienced a pain like this before. She's gonna freaking kill Logan and anyone else that can take even the slightest responsibility for her situation?

"One more time! You're almost there, baby!" Her mom encourages, holding her hand. She breathes in and out before giving one last hard push. The delivery room fills with the cries of a newborn baby and Courtlyn cries too, partly out of fear and partly out of joy. She watches as her son is wrapped in a blue blanket and placed in her arms.

"Honey, he's beautiful."

Her mother is right. Kaden Jay Martin is a perfect little baby, full of beauty and innocence. To Courtlyn's relief, he looks _nothing _like his "father." He looks entirely like his mom. Smiling, she touches his hand, placing a kiss against his forehead.

Her smile fades, though, when she thinks about her distant friends in doesn't know if she wants them meeting Kaden yet. Things have gotten weird between them since she told Carlos she was pregnant, so she just doesn't know if she wants them seeing her son right now. Maybe someday, though.

* * *

_Kaden Jay Martin: My world_

Underneath the Facebook status is a picture of Courtlyn laying in the hospital bed, holding her newborn baby boy. Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan look in awe at the photograph, all finding it hard to believe that their friend is a mother now. Savannah, on the other hand, doesn't seem too interested, probably because she hates Courtlyn.

"And what are you so cranky about?" James teases, pinching her cheeks.

"Because I knew this would happen." Savannah answers, pointing to Logan's computer screen. Carlos huffs, shooting a glare at Savannah. He was friends with Courtlyn first and he knows her better than any of them do. He doesn't care what James's annoying girlfriend thinks. Courtlyn's son is beautiful and she'll be an amazing mother.

"No one knew this would happen, Savannah." Logan argues.

"Oh, like you care!" Carlos snaps at him. It has been a few months since he confronted Logan in the hallway and their friendship has definitely turned sour. They don't spend as much time together anymore unless they have to and when they do hang out, it's very awkward. Carlos just can't bring himself to forgive Logan for not telling someone about witnessing the attack on their friend.

"He looks just like her." Kendall whispers, touching the screen. Carlos sighs, looking at the picture. Logan is looking at the screen with an expression of both love and sadness. Now, Carlos knows that Logan loves Courtlyn, but he could have brought her attacker to justice by telling the police what he witnessed...but he didn't.

"I...I'm sorry." Logan murmurs, getting up and leaving the public library.

* * *

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	25. A Big Break

_"Gustavo, you need to find a hot new superstar for Rocque Records or you're fired."_

Gustavo Rocque cringed as he watched a horribly untalented teenager dance around the small stage. No, no, no, this wouldn't work. He would have to face that he was gonna get fired and have to work in his father's scooter shop. Although the thought made him feel physically ill. He wants, correction, NEEDS to save his failing career. He use to be one of the best producers in Hollywood!

This girl...Jenny Tinkler...needs to silence herself and GET OUT. Gustavo is already stressed enough and her awful voice is only making it worse. He needs THE FIRE, which he hasn't seen so far. He had only seen one person that he sort of liked, in San Antonio, Texas, but he turned her down because she's fifteen and she has a child. Her name was...Courtlyn Martin! Sorry, but he can't have a teen mother signed to Rocque Records.

Besides, she said the kid was nine months old and he cannot have a whiny, screaming, crying baby crawling around his studio. It would drive him insane!

Okay, scratch that. He's already going insane. That would just make it worse.

* * *

"You have NO TALENT!"

Kendall scoffs as Gustavo yells at James, while Carlos and Logan's jaws drop. How can Gustavo say that James has no talent? He's got the talent, the looks, everything Rocque Records needs! Apparently, Gustavo Rocque is just a cranky old coot with nothing better to do than destroy a young boy's confidence. Jerk!

"NO TALENT?! NO TALENT?! YOU'RE THE ONE WITH NO TALENT! YOU HAVEN'T HAD A HIT IN TEN YEARS!" Kendall rants, storming over to him. How dare someone insult his best friend!

"Hey, Girl To My Heart by Boyquake was a hit nine years ago!"

It all goes downhill soon after Kendall's rambling began. Next thing anyone knows, he's on top of the man's desk singing a new "hit" called "The Giant Turd Song" or...whatever. It probably embarrasses the hell out of poor James and Kendall doesn't really care at this point.

"Oh, you're such a turd! Oh yeah, a giant turd! Yeah, you look like a turd and you smell like a turd!"

Then security arrives, pulling him down from the desk. He tries to fight them off, but he has a hard time with that so his friends join. It doesn't end so well for them, though, because they end up being taken home by police. Jennifer Knight: night so happy about it. Katie: Very amused.

* * *

"I'm Gustavo Rocque! I'm amazing! _I'M AMAZING._ And if you think for one second that i'm so desperate because i've toured 22 cities and haven't been able to find anybody, you can think again! Because there is no way-**NO...WAY**-GUSTAVO ROCQUE...is taking the four dogs from Minnesota to Los Angeles to make them stars! It's never gonna happen! NEVER!"

"So...we have a deal."

"Yep!"

* * *

"This is seriously the best night off my life!"

"Really? Don't you think that's a little sad?" Courtlyn teases, bouncing nine month old Kaden on her lap.

"Shut up!" James laughs at the computer screen. He just had to tell Courtlyn about his dream finally coming true, so he texted her and asked if they could Skype, which she happily agreed to do. He can't get over how well she's doing with her son, even at her age. She's still got post pregnancy curves, but she looks good anyway. However, his heart is with Savannah, so he has no interest in Courtlyn. Besides, she's Logan's girl, even though they're not dating.

"Ma...ma." Kaden babbles, looking up at Courtlyn.

"K, say hi to James." She encourages, taking Kaden's hand and gently waving it up and down. James smiles, touching the screen. He chuckles as the baby boy shows off an open mouth smile, shaking his head. It just makes James sad that Courtlyn had to grow up so fast, all because of one sick person.

Even worse, he doesn't know about Carlos and Logan's friendship. They're basically strangers now. Ever since Carlos confronted Logan a little more than a year ago, things have definitely changed between them. James and Kendall don't like that all. Hey, maybe going to LA and being in a band will bring them back together. James would certainly like that.

"That's great, though." Courtlyn smiles softly, kissing Kaden's cheek. "I'm really proud of you guys. I...I auditioned for him when he came to San Antonio, but he didn't want a teen mom signed to his album."

"Judgmental jerk." James mutters, rolling his eyes.

"Have fun in LA." His friend grins, cuddling her baby boy.

"Thanks, Court." James replies. "I will."

* * *

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	26. Band-Aid

Carlos frowns as he peeks into Kendall and Logan's room, watching his "former" best friend do homework. The truth is, he doesn't wanna consider Logan a "former" friend. He wants Logan to be his _friend. _They're suppose to be brothers forever, but that's almost been ruined because of what happened with Courtlyn. Maybe he should have listened before judging.

"L-logan?" He asks, leaning against the door frame.

"What?" Logan sounds sort of impatient. Carlos supposes that he deserves the cold shoulder. Ever since they got into that horribly fight more than a year ago, they have been like strangers. Carlos is tired of it being that way. That's why he's gonna make Logan hang out with him, so they can repair their broken friendship. What better way to bond than a walk around the Palm Woods park?

"Come to the park with me?"

"Why?"

"So we can talk! Pleeeasssse?"

"Ugh, fine!" Logan snaps, closing his textbook. Carlos smiles cheerfully, grabbing Logan and ushering him out the door. Even when Logan protests, he doesn't let go, due to being far too excited about the idea of them becoming close friends again. He misses Logan and all he wants is for things to go back to the way they were.

* * *

"Yeah, we're going to the park! Okay, bye." Carlos says before hanging up the phone. Kendall apparently called because he was wondering where they had gone. Now, Logan is waiting for Carlos to say whatever it is that he wants to say since they're at the park and he claims that he wants to talk.

"Now, are you gonna say anything or not?" He asks, taking a deep breath.

"Well," Carlos says, crossing his arms. "I wanna talk about...what happened between us."

Logan closes his eyes, thinking back to that incident in the hallway. When Carlos shoved him against the lockers, screaming that Courtlyn was pregnant, blaming him because he didn't do something to help her. Carlos doesn't understand, though. He wanted to help her, he really did, but he was so traumatized and so shocked by what he had seen, what he had heard.

"I was scared, okay? I had never witnessed something like that before and I didn't know what to do! I wanted to help her, Carlos, but I didn't know what to do!" He rants, pacing. He sees his friend flinch and look down, which makes him feel somewhat guilty. He understands why Carlos was upset, but he was struggling too! He witnessed their best friend get her innocence forcefully taken from her.

"She's doing really well, though." Carlos whispers. "She's overcome a lot and she's an amazing mom."

Logan nods, inhaling. He knows that. He knows how strong Courtlyn has been and how much she loves her son, but it's so hard to move on. Logan has been forced to live with the guilt. He's been forced to live knowing that he never tried to save Courtlyn or even help bring her rapist to justice.

"I...I'm sorry." He murmurs.

"No," Carlos shakes his head. "Don't be sorry. You...you were so young and you didn't know what to do. You were scared and I should have understood that."

Logan nods, tears filling his eyes as he's pulled into Carlos's arms. He can't quite get rid of the guilt and the horrific memories, but at least he had his best buddy back. Now their band, Big Time Rush, is truly complete. No more conflict, no more drama, just friendship. That's all they need.

* * *

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	27. Guess Who's Back

"Mama! Mama!"

Kendall was in the middle of exchanging a few kisses with Jo, his girlfriend of only three months, but his head snaps up when he hears the small child. At first, he doesn't really think anything of it, until he realizes that it's _Courtlyn _walking into the Palm Woods with Kaden, who recently turned one.

"What are you looking at?" Jo giggles, hugging his waist.

"Um, apparently an old friend is at the Palm Woods." He murmurs, watching as Courtlyn leads Kaden over to the front desk. The one year old starts to run around, but is immediately lifted up by his young mother, who gives him a stern look before acknowledging Mr. Bitters, the Palm Woods manager.

"Who?" Jo questions, looking over at Courtlyn. Kendall smiles a little as he watches Kaden put a strand of Courtlyn's hair in his mouth. It's insane how much he looks like her, but that's not Kendall's main thing right now. He's more interested in knowing why Courtlyn is in LA when she was in Texas just a week ago.

"Here's your key, have a Palm Woods day."

"Than-Kendall?"

"Courtlyn?" Kendall gasps, eyeing his longtime friend. She's dressed in jeans, a black tank top, and a tan leather jacket with her hair straightened, and she looks great. You know, just a little curvier now that she has a child. Now, Kendall knows that Logan will be happy when he finds out that she's back. You know, even though he sort of has a thing for Camille now.

"Hi!" Courtlyn hugs him. "I got cast in this new TV show for ABC Family, so I moved to LA."

"Really?" Kendall asks, surprised.

"Yeah, it's called Serena and I play the title character." Courtlyn states proudly. "It's a drama about a pregnant, orphaned teen named Serena who is taken in by a wealthy family."

Kendall feels so proud of Courtlyn. He always knew she had acting skills, but to get the lead role in a TV show? That's amazing! Just as he's about to congratulate her, Logan walks out from the pool, hand in hand with Camille. That's when it gets a little awkward, considering that Courtlyn gave Logan his first kiss.

"Logan..." Courtlyn exhales. "Hi."

"Um, hi?" Logan sounds a bit nervous.

"Who are you?" Jo and Camille say in unison.

"Courtlyn Martin, an old friend." Courtlyn smiles, touching Kaden's hand. The baby boy babbles with a grin on his face, squeaking as he's handed over to Kendall. Both Jo and Camille "awww" together, joining Kendall in giving the little boy lots of attention. Something tells him that Kaden enjoys this too.

"So..." Logan starts. "Um...how have you been?"

"Good-AH!" Courtlyn yelps as James and Carlos suddenly engulf her in a bear hug. They're both ranting about their excitement at the same time, so it's hard to ever hear what they're saying. It's funny to see how excited they are, though. In fact, it seems like Carlos might end up passing out.

"Guys-" She gasps.

"Mama!" Kaden exclaims. Finally, the two dorks let Courtlyn go and Kendall hands her son back to his mother, who whispers to him and kisses his cheek. Wow, she's turning out to be a really good mother, even at her age. There was a time when Kendall doubted that she would be able to handle it.

"Well, I'm gonna get settled into my apartment." Courtlyn smiles, walking past them. Well, she did mention on Facebook that she had gotten emancipated. Kendall just hopes that she can handle living on her own, considering that she's only sixteen.

* * *

**Losing My Mind will be updated tomorrow:) I started school today! :D**

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	28. Big Time Mansion

"Wooowww, you guys really screwed up." Courtlyn snickers, looking around the trashed mansion. Gustavo went out of state to check out a new boy band and reluctantly allowed his "dogs" to look after his mansion. The way Courtlyn sees it, that was a huge mistake. She's known these boys for a long time and you don't let them to watch over your belongings unless you want something destroyed.

"Yeah, don't rub it in." Kendall groans. Courtlyn stifles laughter, watching Kaden toddle around the living room. She was reluctant to bring him over here, but she couldn't find a sitter so she had to. So far, he has been a good boy and hasn't gotten himself into any trouble. Unfortunately, the night is still very young.

"How did you manage to do this?" She questions, looking at the mess. It seems like nothing is impossible for these dorks. Carlos took on the entire eighth grade once, so that tells you something right there. It's no surprise that the four boys managed to wreck their bosses huge mansion.

"Mama!"

"I'll be there in a minute, buddy." She says, in which Kaden responds by crawling over James and Carlos, sitting between them. Courtlyn smiles at her son, then looks around once again. It's gonna take a miracle to clean this up before Gustavo gets back. Sorry, but it's true.

Riiiing!

"Heeeyyy!" Kendall sounds terribly anxious, which is unusual for him. "You're what?!" He puts his hand over the phone, frantically whispering to his friends. "He's coming home early!"

"WHAT?!" James, Carlos, and Logan yell in unison. Courtlyn just bursts out laughing, ignoring the dirty looks that she's receiving. Even more amusing, Kaden laughs along, even though he most likely has no idea what's going on.

While the guys freak out and try to figure out what to do, Courtlyn picks her little man up and decides to take him outside to play, since she'd rather not be associated with the disaster that just occurred.

* * *

"Was that a good story or what?"

Gustavo slowly enters the mansion with Kelly, surprised to find his mansion completely spotless and the dogs sleeping in a large seat in the lobby. Courtlyn is sitting up with her son on her lap, just finishing up a story that sounds like The Little Engine That Could. Gustavo isn't a big fan of small children, but that little rascal is pretty adorable.

"Ba ba ba ba ba..." The kid babbles.

"Hey, Gustavo!" Kendall greets. Gustavo eyes him carefully, then glances at Kelly. The other dogs follow with their own greetings, which the music producer doesn't really understand. The boys aren't usually this enthusiastic.

"Monty!" He calls out, referring to his Peruvian Hairless Cat. The cat instantly comes running, jumping into his owner's arms. Just when he's about to state his pleasure with their "responsibility," he bumps into his special statue, knocking it over. Oh, real nice! Now he needs an aspirin...

"Um..." Carlos hesitates. "Bye!" James and Logan yelp as they all get up and begin hurrying toward the front door. Gustavo's jaw drops and he watches in horror as they leave, followed by Courtlyn and her kid. HE KNEW HE COULDN'T TRUST THEM!

"ASPIRIN, I NEED ASPIRIN!"

* * *

**Losing My Mind will be updated tomorrow:)**

**Review! :D**


	29. Apology

Logan is proud of himself. Not because of his good grades, but because of how he looks now. After coming to LA and getting a three album recording contract with Big Time Rush, he decided to give himself a makeover. So he started working out and once he was satisfied with his figure, he changed his hair a bit. Now he can actually feel more confident around Camille.

That wasn't who he's visiting today, though. Before he even contemplates a relationship with her, he needs to settle things with Courtlyn. Ever since the incident, things just haven't been the same between them. They interact quite a bit, but it's always very brief and somewhat awkward. Well, Logan wants to make things right.

After he feels that he's properly dressed, he leaves 2J and walks down the hall to Courtlyn's apartment. At first, he hesitates a bit just because he's nervous about the impending conversation, but it needs to happen. He can't sit back and let Courtlyn's friendship just slip away.

"Coming!"

A few seconds later, the door opens and she appears, dressed down in sweatpants and a hoodie with her hair in a ponytail. She looks a bit older than seventeen, but Logan supposes that's what motherhood does. It makes you grow up and it's even tougher when you're practically a kid yourself.

"Mama!" Kaden exclaims.

"I'll be there in a minute." She tells her one year old son, then she turns back to Logan. "Um, hi. W-what are you doing here?"

"I thought we could talk." Logan answers, watching as Kaden toddles around the living room. He chuckles when the child falls and gets right back up, admiring the kid's determination. Just by looking at Kaden, Logan can't tell that the little guy was conceived the way he was. He just seems like the sweetest, most perfect little boy.

"Um, come in." Courtlyn steps aside, allowing him to enter. He watches as Courtlyn holds out her hand to Kaden, who gives her a "high five", and ruffles his dark brown hair. Wow, she seems like a really great mom. Logan couldn't imagine handling the situation as well as she has. He has heard of some rape victims resenting their children because of it, but Courtlyn doesn't seem to resent Kaden one bit.

"So...what did you wanna talk about?"

"About what happened." Logan says, rubbing the back of his neck. An awkward silence follows, neither of them being certain of what to say. Logan would like to just apologize for not helping her that day, but he doesn't really wanna bring up something so traumatic. He just wants her to know he's sorry, though.

"You don't need to apologize." Courtlyn seems to read his mind. "You know, about what happened. You were scared and you didn't know what to do. Please...please don't worry about it."

"Court, I can't _not _worry about it." Logan says, sounding quite desperate. How could she tell him not to worry about it? Her life was changed forever because he never told anyone what happened until she did it herself two months later. Even worse, the guy never got caught. So Courtlyn's rapist could still be out there.

"Yeah, you can _not _worry about it." Courtlyn replies. "Because I forgive you."

She proceeds to kiss his cheek before walking out to Kaden, leaving him to murmur a softly spoken "bye" before exiting the apartment. He wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but he was partly happy and partly terrified. He was suppose to be pursuing a relationship with Camille!

"Logan Mitchell, what have you gotten yourself into?"

* * *

**I have a Biology quiz to study for:/**

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	30. Liar Liar

"Ohhh, this is bad." Carlos murmurs, looking at the computer screen. Logan and Kendall look over his shoulders, worried about what their Latino friend has discovered. He has found some pretty strange things in the past, but his tone is different this time. Instead of shock or confusion, it's a tone full of worry. What did he find?

"What?" Logan questions, looking over his shoulder. Kendall does the same, eyeing the...whoa. A Facebook page with _Savannah _making out with _another guy _that's not James. She's cheating on him? They've been together for, what, two years? Well, almost. Why would she cheat on a guy like James? She's being a bigger player than the public makes James out to be.

"That whore!" He gasps, feeling his skin becoming warm. This always happens when he gets angry. Oh, if they were still in Minnesota, he would go to her house and give her a piece of his mind. However, they're in LA, far away from their hometown. Well, that's lucky for Savannah, but she better watch her back.

"How could she do this to him?" Carlos whispers.

"Do what to who?"

They yelp in surprise when James walks into the room with Kaden. They've been babysitting today while Courtlyn does some interviews for her new show. They were initially reluctant to let James be alone with the young child, but it appears that he has handled the responsibility better than they thought he would.

"Oh...uh..." Kendall hesitates, watching as James puts Kaden down. He looks at the scandalous picture from the corner of his eye, wishing desperately that he could make it disappear. Sadly, he knows that can't happen. The best choice would be to just be honest with James, even though it may hurt him.

"What's going on?" Their tallest friend questions, starting to look worried.

"Oh, um-" Logan gulps.

"Savannah's cheating on you!" Carlos blurts out. Both Kendall and Logan smack their hands to their faces, both out of frustration and fear of seeing James's reaction. Ugh, he really liked Savannah a lot, and she was his first serious girlfriend. How could she do such a thing? This is exactly why Kendall dumped her. She's a total bitch!

"Um, what?"

"Look." Kendall sighs, showing him the picture on Facebook. For a minute, James stands in silence, staring at the screen. This silence seems to last forever, although it actually only lasts for a few short minutes.

"Th-that's...ugh, I should have known!" James turns away from them, rubbing the back of his neck. Kendall watches, concerned, much like Carlos and Logan. James is their best friend, their brother, and it infuriates them when someone hurts him. Ugh, Kendall is against hitting girls, but he'd gladly make an exception in this situation.

"Jay-" Carlos sounds quite timid.

"Jay, there are other girls." Kendall says, walking over to the boy. He hates seeing James so sad, but maybe this is for the best. To be truthful, Kendall didn't like James with Savannah anyway. There's plenty of girls that would make a much better girlfriend. In Kendall's opinion, James just needs to keep looking.

"I...I...I guess you're right." James finally murmurs, taking out his cell phone. Kendall can't help glancing at the tiny screen, watching James type out a message to his "girlfriend." He doesn't know what James is doing, but he's somewhat excited to find out.

_Savannah, we're done FOR GOOD._

_Sincerely, James_

"What better way to break up with a cheater than a text message?" James states, while his bandmates nod in agreement. It's normally frowned upon to break up with someone over a text, but an exception can be made in this case. Savannah deserves to be dumped unexpectedly. She didn't exactly warn James that she was planning on hooking up with someone else.

"Great job, buddy." Kendall pats his shoulder. "You did the right thing."

* * *

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	31. Fresh Air

**Random fact: I love drawing animals, especially cartoon animals:)**

**On a different note, this chapter is cute and funny:) Well, except for James's moping:/ That's just sad**

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"James, you have to do something besides mope!" Carlos groans, trying to pull his best friend off the bright orange coach. James only moans in response, burying his face in a pillow. Ever since he and Savannah broke up last look, he has been a miserable wreck, insisting that he's gonna grow old and die alone. The guys, and Courtlyn, have been desperately trying to comfort him, but it hasn't been working.

"Jay, come on!" Carlos grunts, yanking harder. Whining, James flails his legs, refusing to be removed from the comfy couch. In a fit of frustration, Carlos turns to Kendall and Logan, silently demanding that they HELP him. So far, they've just been standing off to the side and watching.

"Ugh..." Kendall walks over and, with some difficulty, manages to lift James off the couch and over his shoulder. Thanks to years on the hockey team, he had grown quite strong and could usually lift even James. Now, they just need to get him down to the pool for some fresh air, something he hasn't gotten in days.

"Let's go!" He says, walking toward the door with a struggling James. In a hurry, they walk down the hallway and, after some protest, James finally becomes limp. For the elevator ride, he just stays quiet, a bitter look on his face.

"You'll thank us later, buddy." Logan insists as the elevator doors open. A few people give the boys confused looks, probably wondering why one teenage boy is carrying another teenage boy. Yeah, it looks pretty weird, but they had no choice. James was refusing to leave the apartment!

"Um, what are you guys-" Jo Taylor murmurs, approaching them.

"Um..." Kendall hesitates. For a moment, he forgets about James, freeing his hands and...dropping the boy in the pool. Only a second later, there is the shriek of a very angry teen boy.

"KENDALL KNIGHT!"

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"First, you _kidnapped _me, then you _forgot _about me and DROPPED ME IN THE POOL!" James rants only an hour later, after taking a nice and long shower. It's amazing that he hasn't tried to kill Kendall yet. After all, he's very protective of his hair and he seemed quite angry when he ended up in the pool.

"Maybe now you'll realize that there are other girls..." Carlos starts.

Surprisingly, James doesn't freak out. Instead, he lowers himself onto the couch, looking down. The other three boys feel terribly bad, hating to see their friend upset. Out of nowhere, Carlos sits beside James and wraps his arms around the boy, hoping to bring him some comfort.

"I'll be okay." James exhales. "I'll be fine.

"You sure?" Logan asks, squeezing his shoulder.

James frowns, running a hand through his hair. He wasn't use to being at the receiving end of a breakup, so he wasn't sure if he was entirely "okay" yet. He could try to move on, though. Carlos was probably right about there being other girls. He had seen lots of attractive girls here in LA. Maybe he'd find one that he could really connect with. It couldn't be that hard, right?

"Yeah," He nods. "I'm sure."

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**I'll hopefully have a new update of Losing My Mind for you tomorrow! :) In that story, things are about to get..."interesting."**

**Review! :D**


	32. Photo Shoot

**I got an 80 on my Biology quiz! *happy dance* Anyway, here's your update of Journey and a new chapter of Losing My Mind will be up tomorrow! I'm in college from Monday through Thursday:)**

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"This is stupid."

"Courtlyn, just cooperate!"

"Seriously, this is really lame."

Marcos Del Posy is rarely a tense person, quite relaxed actually, but today is different. He's doing a photo shoot with Courtlyn Martin and the boys of Big Time Rush, and he's having a hell of a time. One of his subjects is being a little devil child and the other four are too easily distracted. It's a disaster and he's ready to throw in the towel.

"Hey, does grape juice turn stuff purple?" Carlos asks. Marcos groans from behind the camera, watching as Courtlyn tried to slip her favorite leather jacket on. Here's the problem, though. She's wearing a pink dress and sparkly shoes, and Marcos wants her to look sweet, not edgy. She thinks that her outfit needs a little edge.

"SHUT UP!" Gustavo snaps. Marcos flinches at the music producer's booming voice, snapping more pictures as the five almost-famous teens pose. These kids may be talented, but they are horribly uncooperative. They are driving him crazy. It's a good thing that he's so passionate about his job, otherwise he would have quit by now.

"I WILL NOT POSE WITH STUFFED PUPPIES!" Courtlyn shrieks. Marcos holds back a scream, becoming even more stressed when the girl's son starts crying. Without even asking for permission, she walks away from the white background screen and leaves the studio to tend to her kid.

"You better pay me good money for this." Marcos grumbles to Kelly, sitting his camera down.

* * *

"Hey, I met this girl, Kayla, and we have a date on Friday." James says proudly as they wait for Courtlyn to return. He was sort of surprised that Gustavo wanted their second magazine cover to be shared with someone else, but he supposes that it's because Courtlyn's on a hit TV show and the cover will get them more exposure.

"Oh, and Marcos?" Courtlyn states as she reenters the studio. "Get rid of the stuffed animals and the prissy looking clothes, and make us look cool, or I'm calling my agent."

The boys snicker, loving Courtlyn's sass. She wasn't a diva at all, but she had a sassy agent and Marcos is terrified of the woman. So she uses that to her advantage. Is it wrong that James is impressed by this? Because he kind of is. What can he say? He admires a girl who knows how to get what she wants.

"_Kill me_!" Marcos mouths to Kelly. James snorts, covering his mouth with his hand. Their last photo shoot with Marcos was...unusual, but this one's quite fun because Courtlyn has been giving Marcos a hard time for the past two hours. A lot of people find it hard to believe that she has a seventeen month old son.

"Fine!" he finally says, clearly not wanting to get lectured by Courtlyn's agent. Shauna Evans is one of the toughest women in the business and you do not mess with her. She wants her clients to get _good _publicity and if they get humiliated by anyone in any way, she'll have something to say about it.

"Thank you, Marcos."

"Ugh, whatever."

* * *

"Well, don't we look good?" Kendall says, looking at the cover of Pop Tiger. The BTR boys are dressed in jeans and black tee shirts, and Courtlyn's wearing a black minidress and high heeled black leather boots. They look pretty good and this cover is sure to impress. Big Time Rush isn't super famous yet, but they're getting there. They're...ALMOST halfway there.

"Even Logiebear looks cool!" Carlos exclaims.

"Asshole." Logan mutters. "But thank you for...the compliment."

"You guys look really cute." Jo smiles, hugging Kendall's waist. He smiles, putting his arms around her and returning the gesture. He can't believe how much their lives have changed since coming to LA. He has a girlfriend, Logan has a "crush" that obviously likes him back, and they're in a BAND. A soon-to-be famous one!

"They look cute, but I look smoking hot!" James smiles, taking the magazine from Carlos. He's obviously pleased with himself, as he usually is. Look, he's one of Kendall's best friends, his brother in fact, but he's too self absorbed for his own good. They're all used to it, though, and he wouldn't really be him without it.

"So what do you guys think?" Courtlyn grins, bouncing Kaden on her lap. "You ready for the big time? Because I am!"

"Hehe, big time." Carlos giggles. "That's so _punny_."

"Ugh, Carlos-"

"Don't judge me!"

"Okay, I won't!"

Kendall chuckles and hugs Jo close, while he and his friends celebrate everything they've accomplished so far. Even better, there are surely more adventures to come.

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	33. Crazy Superstar

**This chapter (and previous chapters) have been mostly comical/cute, but I can assure you that there will be some angsty/dramatic chapters coming up:) Oh, and we meet a new character in this chapter! She's a ditzy, childish, but cute singer/actress named Maddie, whose celeb lookalike is Ariana Grande:)**

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"Dogs, I got a big time star to be in your second music video!" Gustavo announces, entering the studio with a rare smile on his face. The four BTR boys watch curiously as their boss whips around, peeking into the hallway. He whispers something, motioning to Freight Train in a sudden burst of frustration.

Seconds later, Freight Train walks into the room carrying a perky little redhead on his shoulder. The mystery girl is giggling, but flailing her arms and legs. The guys furrow their eyebrows, wondering who this girl might be. Carlos whispers "Ariana Grande," but the other three guys know that this girl is nowhere near as intelligent as Ariana probably is.

"Maddie Evans!" Kelly says with a tight smile on her face. James's eyes widen the minute he sees the girl, his jaw dropping. The same goes for Carlos. Maddie Evans is a popular singer and actress, kind of a...classier version of Miley Cyrus. Only, she doesn't look anything like Miley and she has never "twerked" or gotten nude for a music video.

"You guys probably know this girl, right?" Gustavo suggests calmly, eyeing the redheaded superstar.

"Sure! Pop star, actress, her song "Slow Down" debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200." Kendall answers, instantly noticing that Maddie is checking James and Carlos out. He hopes that she realizes that she can't have both of them. If she's gonna pursue someone, she better go for ONE of them, NOT two. She's clearly not the brightest crayon in the box, though, so that may not be a rule that she's aware of.

"We've gotta drive to the location right now." Kelly says as Freight Train ushers them all out of the studio.

"So...you're single, right?" James whispers to Maddie.

"Of course!" Maddie smiles, linking her arm through his. Carlos's jaw drops when he sees this interaction and before anyone knows it, he yells "SHE WILL BE MINE!" and tackles James to the floor, barely managing to avoid pulling Maddie down with them. This makes Gustavo yell with rage, while Freight Train hurries to pull the two boys apart.

Kendall and Logan? They're both a bit embarrassed, but Logan manages to apologize to Maddie for the stupidity displayed by their two bandmates. Those two should really stop being so girl crazy. It's gonna cause them more trouble than they need.

* * *

"She gets to be my love interest, right?" James asks with a hopeful smile.

"No! She just plays A GIRL!" Gustavo snaps, while James watches Marcos chase Maddie, who somehow got a hold of a golf cart that will be used in the video. The song is called Til I Forget About You, by the way. Anyway, Maddie is a bit childish for sixteen years old, but a lot of people seem to find it quite amusing. Her manager said that her parents sort of spoil her so she has never really grown up. Everything is handed to the girl on a silver platter, unfortunately. James and Carlos don't see the problem, but everyone else does.

"SOMEONE GET THE GIRL!" Marcos yelps as other grew members rush to stop the seemingly out-of-control golf cart. Poor Gustavo actually looks like he might cry out of frustration. Courtlyn stopped by the set to watch the video shoot and she's too busy tending to Kaden to really notice.

"SHE'S GONNA CRASH THAT THING!" Someone shrieks. Sure enough, she ends up ramming the thing into a tree, barely escaping injury. She just tumbles out of the driver's seat and crew members rush to help her up. The biggest problem is that the golf cart is now wrecked and a new one will be needed.

"Please tell me that there is another golf cart." Logan groans.

"Thankfully!" Gustavo whispers harshly, crossing his arms.

"I wanna do that again!" Maddie chirps.

"NO!"

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**So...I may have an idea for an upcoming James fanfic (*wink wink*)**

**Review! :D**


	34. Pretty Little Prankster

"Sooo...do ya like pranking?" Carlos asks hopefully.

"Um, sure?" Maddie replies, anxiously tapping her fingers on the table top. She's sitting across from James and Carlos, who are constantly trying to pursue her. She has developed quite a friendship with the boys, but she has to admit that they could come on a bit strong. Although, she doesn't mind too much. After all, two cute boys are interested in her. Then again, a lot of boys are, but James and Carlos are...special.

"Well, we've got this python and we plan on releasing it into Bitters's office." James winks at her. She covers her mouth and giggles, actually liking the sound of that. She thinks the Palm Woods manager seemed boring and he could use some livening up. Seeing him freak out over a giant snake in his office sounds like fun.

"I would love that." She laughs, smiling as Carlos took her hand and gently pulled her from her seat. She happily skips after the two guys, following them out to the parking lot. She gasps as James grabs a large box from the Big Time Rush mobile before laughing to herself. She likes how daring these boys are.

"Let's go." He whispers in her ear. Nodding, she lets Carlos take her hand and lead her back into the Palm Woods, where they proceed to head straight for Bitters's office. He's taking care of some stuff on a different floor so they won't have to worry about getting caught. Now, they just have to make sure the door isn't locked.

"I can't believe he didn't think to lock his door." James snickers as they enter the tiny office, shutting. Maddie squeaks and covers her face as James removes a large yellow snake from the box, while Carlos pats her shoulder. She's not a big fan of reptiles, but she's in the mood for a good prank.

"Stupid, immature kids."

"Crap, it's Bitters!" Maddie squeaks, frantically looking around the room. In a panic, the three troublemakers took the best hiding places, with Maddie choosing to hide under Bitters's desk while James and Carlos hide in the closet.

Maddie frowns as the large manager walks into the office, holding her breath. She's not in the mood to get in trouble. She just wants to go home and relax in her indoor hot tub, and play with her puppy. Gosh, why do James and Carlos have to be so convincing?!

"Vandali-AAHHHHHHH!" Bitters suddenly screams, turning around and running out of the office. While James and Carlos walk out of the closet, laughing their asses off, Maddie is holding back her own screams. Why? Because the snake is right next to her. Ewww, it's so big and slimy...

"Guys!" She whispers, gulping. "The-the snake...it's right here..."

"Oh!" The guys exclaim, hurrying to help her. She watches anxiously as they lift the snake up, moving it away from her. She immediately crawls out from under the desk, smacking both of their arms. "You suck, you know that?!"

"But you love us?" Carlos suggests.

"Hmmm, we'll see about that." Maddie shrugs, kissing both of their cheeks before exiting the office. She has things to do, but she'll definitely be looking forward to spending more time with those boys.

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**A short and sweet chapter:)**

**Review! :D**


	35. Awkward Conversation

**No Losing My Mind update tonight because I've been studying for my psychology test on Tuesday:P Tomorrow, though!**

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"Courtlyn is such a slut." Jennifer (the blonde one) whispers to the others, glancing at the mom of two year old Kaden. The brunette rolls her eyes and watches as Kaden splashes around in the kiddy pool, trying to avoid shooting that skank the finger. She really wants to, but she doesn't want Kaden learning gestures like that. Not yet at least.

"She's a total whore, right?" The brunette Jennifer giggles. Courtlyn clenches her jaw, getting more annoyed with every minute. She honestly wants to hit all three of those girls, but she's just not in the mood for that, especially when she's watching Logan and Camille cuddle by the pool. Ugh, she's so sick of "Lomille."

"HOW MANY GUYS HAVE YOU SCREWED THIS WEEK?!" The curly haired Jennifer shouts before bursting into laughter. Courtlyn takes a deep breath, keeping her eyes on her son. The Jennifers are constantly teasing her for being a teen mom, but they don't know the whole story. She got pregnant from _rape, _but you know what else? Kaden is her world and she wouldn't trade him for anything.

"Mama, what's a wh-ore?"

Courtlyn's eyes widen as she tries to figure out a way to explain it. She can't tell a two year old what a whore is! She wants preserve his innocence for as long as possible. Oh, gosh, this is so awkward.

"LOGAN!" She snaps, interrupting her friend's make out with his girlfriend. She gives him a sarcastic smile as he walks away from Camille, trying her best not to scream. Lomille this, Lomille that, blah blah blah. She's sick of that couple. What about Lolyn? Logyn? Whatever their couple name would be!

"Logie, Kaden wants to know what a _whore _is." She says through a smile, glancing over at the Jennifers. When Kaden isn't looking, she shoots the girls two middle fingers, mouthing an obscenity at them. Then she looks up at Logan, giving him a threatening look. He can handle this a lot better!

"Um, why?"

"Because the Jennifers called me one."

"What the-"

"Don't ask." Courtlyn interrupts, glaring at him.

"Um, okay," Logan inhales, getting into the kiddy pool. Once again, Courtlyn shoots him a look, silently warning him to go about this gently. The last thing she needs is a two year old talking about sex and all that stuff. "Well, a whore is basically a...girl that...plays a very...adult game with many different people."

Sarcastically, Courtlyn smiles again, her smile fading when Logan hurriedly gets out of the pool and runs back to Camille. She scoffs, shaking her head, but sighing as Kaden climbs onto her lap. At least there's one guy in her life that isn't a total idiot. Quite honestly, he's the only guy that she really needs or wants.

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**Review! :D**


	36. Another Side

**I tried to post this yesterday, but this internet is suckish:/ Anyway, Losing My Mind will be updated later:)**

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"Logan, I don't get it!"

"Carlos, you should have learned this in 9th grade!" Logan groans, burying his face in his arms. Meanwhile, Kendall and James are eating Oreos at the bar, watching Logan's useless attempts at making Carlos understand math. That's clearly not working in anyone's favor. Carlos is more confused than ever and Logan's about to have a conniption.

"How long before Logiebear explodes?" James whispers, smiling.

"Soon, probably." Kendall snickers as Logan smacks a folder against his face. This is too funny, but they can't laugh out loud because either Logan or Carlos might end up strangling them. That's the last thing they want, even though it's very hard to keep from laughing when Logan looks so pissed off.

"James, you help him." Logan whines.

"I suck at math." James snorts, grabbing another Oreo. Yeah, like he's gonna attempt to be Carlos's math tutor. He's barely passing the class himself, so why would he wanna drag someone else down with him? On a different note, Carlos is now pressing random buttons on the calculator.

"I want foood!"

They yelp as Maddie enters the apartment, dressed in an outfit from the set of her latest movie. She's been filming some drama about a troubled teen that goes to a performing arts school. It's so weird seeing her in old ripped up jeans and an oversized black hoodie instead of her usual girly outfits.

"Maddie, do you ever knock?" Kendall asks.

"I'm Maddie Evans!" The girl retorts, skipping past him. Now Carlos is even more distracted, eyeing Maddie as she walks to the kitchen. Kendall and James watch him closely, waiting to see if he'll actually start to pay attention to what Logan is attempting to teach him. Paying attention would certainly benefit him.

"What're they doing?" Maddie asks, grabbing the box of Oreos.

"Logan is _attempting _to help Carlos with his math homework." James smirks. Maddie watches Carlos and Logan for moment before walking over to them, looking over Carlos's shoulder.

"Logie, no offense, but you're not explaining it right." She complains, pulling me out of the chair. The guys watch with surprise as Maddie reads the problem to Carlos and explains it to him, amazed that the supposed "idiot" was actually explaining math to Carlos better than the Big Time Brain could.

"Ohhh, I get it now!" Carlos says eagerly, writing something on his homework sheet. Kendall, James, and Logan's jaws drop as Maddie "tutors" Carlos, not believing their eyes. Okay, isn't Maddie suppose to be an idiot? Yet here she is, tutoring Carlos in a subject that the rest of them don't get at all.

"Good boy, Carlitos." Maddie chirps, patting his head before getting up. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

They watch carefully as she exits the apartment, taking the Oreos with her. While Carlos sits happily, staring at his newly completed homework, the other three guys look at the door, then at the now empty spot on the bar where the cookies use to be. Well, this was certainly unexpected, but at least Carlos got his homework done.

"And this whole time, I thought she was a total dingbat." Logan says, shaking his head.

"Well, I have always heard that she's full of surprises." Kendall states, his eyes wide. They look over at Carlos, smiling and waving awkwardly. They're happy that someone helped him out, but they just weren't expecting it to be _Maddie, _of all people.

"Um...surprises are good?" James tells him.

"Yeah..." Logan murmurs. "Yeah, surprises are good."

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**The next chapter will be sad/dramatic;)**

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	37. Breaking

**Warning: This chapter is quite a bit darker than previous chapters. It features a brief mention of rape, as well as self harm.**

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"Oh my god!" Someone gasps before bursting into giggles. Jo frowns as she walks through the lobby, wondering why everyone seems to be laughing at something on their phones. Maybe videos of cute animals doing silly things? But she somehow has a bad feeling about it. She doesn't know why, but she really thinks that something else is going on.

She keeps hearing the words "slut" and "whore" and "liar." Why? She immediately approaches Camille to find out what's going on, taking the phone from her friend's hand. When she looks at the screen, she's horrified. No, it's nothing to do with her, but it is a topless picture of _Courtlyn_, posing seductively for the camera.

"Oh my gosh-" She covers her mouth, handing the phone back to Camille. "Why is that-"

"Someone sent it out.." Camille tells her. She shakes her head, looking over at the Palm Woods entrance. Courtlyn's car just arrived and it'll only be a few short minutes before she walks through those doors and gets humiliated all because of one personal picture. Jo knows that Courtlyn wouldn't intentionally destroy her career.

"I knew it." Blonde Jennifer giggles to the other Jennifers, showing them her phone. In a fit of anger, Jo walks over to her and snatches the phone away, throwing it to the ground.

"You owe me a new phone!" The mean girl snaps.

"I don't owe you anything!" Jo retorts, giving her a gentle push. Just as Jennifer is about to push back, Courtlyn walks into the lobby and all becomes silent. Jo's heart sinks almost instantly and judging by the way Courtlyn looks at the ground, she's already been informed of the photo scandal.

"Take it off, girl!" Curly Jennifer calls out, and Jo pushes her in response. Jo isn't usually a violent person, but she's not afraid to use violence when it's needed. Anyone that bullies Courtlyn over this photo is probably gonna get their ass kicked by the star of New Town High. That's a PROMISE.

"You might need some of these!" Jett smirks, throwing various kinds of contraceptives at Courtlyn as she walks past them. Jo can't believe that her costar is behaving like this. To the public, he portrays himself as a really nice guy, but he's really a huge jerk. Jo just never realized how much of a jerk he really is until now.

"Jett, leave her alone!" She growls, shoving past him and reaching out to Courtlyn, leading her toward the elevator. Lucy, Camille, and Stephanie follow, and Lucy even goes as far as shooting the middle finger at giggling onlookers. Jo loves that girl for being so hard core, even though she kissed Jo's current boyfriend, Kendall.

"I don't know how that picture got out." Courtlyn insists. "I think someone hacked into my email."

"Um, guys?" Camille gulps, pointing at the wall behind them. Turning around, they are shocked to find much a larger version of the scandalous picture, copies taped all over the wall, and various insults written. The girls eyes widen, Courtlyn's most of all. The worst insult says "no wonder you got knocked up."

"I WAS RAPED!" She screeches just as the doors open. Jo, Camille, Lucy, and Stephanie watch as she storms down the hall to her apartment, not seeming to remember that she left her son with the guys. It seems as though someone else will be picking him up today. However, someone should probably volunteer to make sure Courtlyn's okay.

"Hey, what's going on?" Logan asks worriedly, appearing just as Courtlyn slams her door shut.

"Someone posted a nude photo of her online." Stephanie growls, angrily kicking the wall.

Logan's jaw drops and he looks frantically at Courtlyn's door. In a panic, they all hurry to the apartment and Lucy roughly shoves it open. "COURTLYN!"

"I think she's in the bathroom." Camille nods toward the closed bathroom door before approaching it. "Courtlyn?" She knocks, becoming concerned when she doesn't receive a response. Even more concerning, the door is _locked. _They all know that something is wrong, but it's gonna be hard to fix unless someone KICKS THE DOOR DOWN.

"I'll handle this." Lucy tells them, taking a clip from Jo's hair. She kneels down, picking the lock. A few seconds later, they hear it click and she is able to push the door open, only to find a horrifying sight.

Courtlyn...lying on the bathroom floor...with a crimson substance flowing from her wrists.

"COURTLYN!"

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**Wow...so depressing, right? :'( Well, the next chapter will be part 2 of this one!**

**Review? *bats eyelashes* **

**PS: If you reviewed the last chapter of See You Again and I haven't replied, I'm gonna do that now:)**


	38. Messing Up

Beep...beep...beep...beep

"So they're certain that she'll be okay?" Jo whispers as they all watch Courtlyn sleep. While most of them chat amongst each other, Logan stands by his friend's bed, holding her young son in his arms. He's not sure whether he should be angry with her or not. How could she be this selfish when she has a child? At the same time, however, he just feels heartbroken because someone violated her privacy.

"Why would anyone humiliate my daughter like this?" Courtlyn's mom cries to Mama Knight. At that moment, Courtlyn begins to stir. She didn't cut deep enough to cause any major damage, which is a huge relief. Now she'll just have to recover from this and hopefully move past the scandal that was unexpectedly forced upon her.

"Courtlyn, honey," Ms. Martin says, wiping her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, c-confused." Courtlyn whispered, instantly looking at Logan. He didn't really understand why she was looking at him. He had kind of been neglecting her since he and Camille started dating, but he didn't mean to do that. It's just that he was dating a girl that he really likes and...and Camille's his first serious girlfriend, you know?

"Court, we're gonna find out who released those pictures-" Kendall starts to say.

"Forget about the stupid pictures!" Courtlyn snaps. She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. She opens them again when Kaden shouts "Mama!" He seems to be the one that can really bring her away from the edge of destruction. Logan just hopes that she can be strong enough emotionally to actually raise him like a mother should.

"You guys, can I talk to Logan alone?" She asks, taking Kaden into her arms.

"Can I-"

"If you want food, go the cafeteria." She said, interrupting Carlos. Reluctantly, everyone except Logan exits the room, leaving the two friends to have...well, whatever conversation that Courtlyn wants to instigate. Is it pathetic for Logan to be scared?

"Did you...um, did you...did you release those pictures?"

Logan's jaw drops and his heart practically shatters. He can't believe that Courtlyn would say that. They...they...my gosh, WHY would she accuse him of ruining her reputation like that? She should know him better than that. He wants to speak up, but he can't right away because he's just...in shock.

"Seriously, just tell me."

"E-excuse me?" Logan finally scoffs. "You think that I, someone you've known for _years_, would screw you over like that? My god, Courtlyn, why would you even think that? For years, I have done nothing but be your friend and support you through the good and the bad...I don't understand!"

"Logan, I was just asking." Courtlyn tells him. "I mean, you could have easily got into my email and-"

"You know I wouldn't do that!" Logan retorts, walking toward the door. "I can't believe that you would accuse me of something like this-"

"Logan-"

"Save it, Courtlyn." Logan finally says. "We...we're done."

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**I wish I could update daily like I did during the summer:P But when you have tests to study for and assignments to complete, it's tough:P**

**Review! :D**


	39. My Secret

**I hope this isn't too random:P It's dramatic, shocking, and scandalous, and I'm kinda proud of it:) Also, I have an idea. I'm gonna organize my update schedule. Journey updates Monday-Thursday, then I'll update Losing My Mind and See You Again during the weekends! :D**

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Jo is horrified for a BIG reason. She just found out something that is gonna change her life forever, and Kendall's life as well. And...Jett's. As she sits on the bathroom floor with tears streaming down her face, she stares at the positive pregnancy test, desperately thinking of how she's gonna tell her boyfriend that she's expecting her costar's kid...she feels so stupid! She and Jett went to this event to promote New Town High and they'd had a little too drink, and well, you can figure out the rest.

She messed up. She knows that. Even worse, she knows that Kendall will never forgive her once he finds out. He's gonna discover that she's nothing more than a trashy Hollywood actress that couldn't avoid being corrupted by the industry. And what about Jett? What about her whole team? They're all gonna be disgusted with her.

_Jo couldn't care less about people staring at and whispering about her. She merely giggled as she and Jett stumbled into a restroom, shutting the door and beginning to make out. She wasn't thinking about her reputation or the fact that she had a boyfriend! As Jett began slipping her shirt over her head, she only smiled and pulled him back into a kiss._

She shakes her head, realizing that she can't let anyone know what she did. So in an instant, she throws the pregnancy test away and hurries to her room, throwing all of her necessities in a suitcase. She's gonna leave LA, as much as it hurts her. She's gonna leave until she at least figures out what to do.

"You are so stupid!" She whispers harshly, zipping the suitcase. Once she has packed everything she needed, she's out of the door, but she goes a different way instead of the front entrance. Since she doesn't want anyone to see her, she goes out the back exit and walks until she arrives at the parking garage.

Once she has arrived at her car, a silver Mercedes Benz, she tosses her suitcase into the back seat and gets behind the wheel, starting the engine. Her mother would probably say that running away from your problems doesn't solve them, but she's doing what she believes is right, what's best for her and everyone involved.

"You and I will be better off." She whisper, referencing her unborn child. If she chooses to keep it, she was gonna do it away from California. In fact, her most likely place of residence will likely be somewhere in Florida. After all, no one she knows lives there. So she can raise her child and none of her friends and family will ever know that she got pregnant.

It'll be her secret.

* * *

"What? Why would she leave?" Kendall frowns. "She didn't even leave a note!"

"We know." Camille sighs. Kendall can see that she's hiding something behind her back, but he's too upset to question her about it. He...he doesn't understand. She never told him that she was just gonna drive off and leave him and her friends and family behind. He feels betrayed, but also worried. She must have had some reason for running away.

"We're sorry, buddy." Logan patted his shoulder. Kendall shook his head, looking at his three bandmates. He needed to know why Jo left. He _needed _to know the truth.

* * *

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	40. Next Chapter Of Our Lives

**An exciting chapter of Losing My Mind will be up tomorrow! If you weren't aware of my update schedule, I'll tell you now:) Since I'm in school and I haven't been able to update daily, here's how I'm gonna do this. From Monday-Thursday (the days I'm in class), I'll do updates of Journey (since those are just short one-shots) and my multichapter fics (Losing My Mind and See You Again) will be updated on the weekends! :)**

* * *

"This is it." Camille inhales. "Our high school graduation."

Carlos takes a deep breath, looking at the proud families and friends watching the soon-to-be Palm Woods School graduates. He never thought he'd make it this far, but here he is. He's here with his best friends, about to get his high school diploma. It's really happening and he couldn't be happier.

"I think I'm gonna barf." Logan gulps. Carlos looks at his anxious best friend, frowning. Logan's anxiety is just one concern. Another is his destroyed friendship with Courtlyn, as well as the future of Big Time Rush. Lately, the boys have been giving serious thought about the band's future. Logan's mentioned applying to Yale and Kendall wants to put all of his energy into searching for Jo.

"Don't be such a wimp." Carlos whisperes, yelping when Logan elbows him in the stomach. Apparently he has no sense of humor. Well, Carlos doesn't really give a...well, you know. He's just thrilled about the fact that he didn't flunk out of high school. That almost happened, but he managed to make it to this point.

"ARE WE DONE YET? I GOT AN INTERVIEW IN TWO HOURS." Jett says loudly. Mrs. Collins gives him a dirty look and he quickly pipes down, thankfully. Carlos is actually gonna miss her, even though he's never been that crazy about school.

After several more minutes, the graduates are called one-by-one. Carlos nearly cracks up when Maddie skips onto the stage and throws her arms around Mrs. Collins, instead of simply taking the diploma and shaking the woman's hand.

When Carlos's name is called, he takes his diploma, shakes Mrs. Collins's hand, and starts _twerking_. He promised his classmates that he would do this, so...yeah. Although, his booty shaking doesn't really amuse Mrs. Collins, Bitters, Gustavo, or any other adult in the room. Well, maybe Mama Knight. She looks like she wants to laugh...

"OH, GET OFF THE STAGE ALREADY!" Gustavo shrieks. In a hurry, Carlos runs back to his seat, smiling awkwardly as he sits back down. He's forced to be bored as hell for several more minutes, though. Oh, and he also gets the "pleasure" of seeing Logan and Courtlyn shoot each other dirty looks. Sadly, they HATE each other now.

**20 minutes later**

"Kaden, stay with mommy." Courtlyn tells her two year old son.

Logan watches with sadness as his former friendly picks Kaden up and begins walking to her car. Due to poor ratings, her show was cancelled a few months ago. However, it didn't take long for her to get a new gig. She was cast in a British soap opera, but it'll require her to live in London for the show's run. For the most part, Logan has pretended not to care, but it's really killing him inside. It's great that she's gonna become more known internationally, but Logan can't help wishing that she wouldn't go.

"Hey, you want us to drive you to the airport?" James asks her.

"Um..." Courtlyn hesitates. "You know, I think we should just say our goodbyes here. It'll be...easier."

One by one, each of the Big Time Rush boys, minus Logan, gives the girl a hug. When she gets to Logan, she merely shakes his hand, but Kaden cheerfully says "Bye bye, Uncle Logie," to which Logan responds when a half hearted smile and a wave. He may not be on good terms with Courtlyn, but he could never be angry with Kaden.

"We gotta go, kid." Courtlyn tells her son, tickling his tummy. Then to the guys she says, "I guess this is it."

"Bye." The boys murmur sadly. With that, Courtlyn turns and leaves, possibly forever.

* * *

**However, I just might try to post a chapter of See You Again tonight:) I feel so bad about not updating like I use to (don't worry, I still love my BTR fanfics:P)**

**Review! :D**

**Review! :D**


	41. Questioning

**I've been studying for my Biology test on Friday, but here's an update! :)**

* * *

More than two years have passed since Jo's mysterious disappearance. Many believe that the young, beautiful blond actress is dead, while others believe she's alive. Kendall? He doesn't know. After searching for nearly a year, he just gave up. He doesn't know where she is and as much as it scares him, he just doesn't have the strength to search anymore.

Today, Big Time Rush is vacationing in Miami. They're on a hiatus from the band, but they'll likely make a comeback in the next couple years. For now, they're just taking it easy. Laying on a large beach blanket, sipping smoothies, and watching the pretty girls. Well, James and Carlos are, but Logan's reading some book and Kendall's just looking at old pictures on his cell phone. Pictures of...of Jo.

"Hey, do you ever wonder why she left?" He asks his bandmates.

"I think all her friends and family wonder that." Logan replies. Kendall sighs, putting his phone away. He doesn't understand. Why would Jo just pick up and leave him? He thought that they really had something special. He loved her and he thought she loved him, so why would she leave?

"Maddie, what are you doing?" James questions.

"Trying to lick my elbow, duh!" Their friends answers, still...attempting. Kendall merely shrugs, looking around the beautiful beach. There are all kinds of people around here, big and small, light and dark, short and tall...it's an interesting sight. Then he notices something _really _interesting. A familiar blonde...and a little girl.

"Jo." He whispers, getting up.

"Mama!"

"Ella, be careful!" The blonde warns, pulling the small child away from the water. Mama? Jo's a mother? Kendall can't...that child has to be at least two years old so...was Jo _pregnant _when she left? Is that why she ran off? Because she was afraid of telling anyone?

"Jo!" He calls out. Jo turns to face him, her eyes widening...seemingly in shock and fear.

"Kendall?"

"Hey, I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Um...yeah...yeah, I guess you haven't..."

"So why'd you leave?"

"Mama, eat!" The child tugs on Jo's sundress, and her mother looks down.

"Okay, El, we'll get something to eat." Jo smiles, stroking the child's brown hair. You know what Kendall can't help noticing, though? "Ella" looks nothing like him. Like, at all. He'd love to ask why, but he wouldn't want to scare her off with a bunch of questions. Okay, he just needs to stay calm and...

"Um, maybe I could take you...two...out for lunch?" He offers. Surprisingly, Jo gives him a small smile in response, nodding.

"I'd like that."

"Great." Kendall says, watching as Jo leads Ella over to a beach blanket a few feet away. Then he looks over at his friends, his eyes widening. They're obviously pretending not to notice the unexpected interaction. Hey, he DEFINITELY wasn't expecting it. However, he's just happy that he and Jo are reunited. Well, sort of.

"Woooww..." Carlos and Maddie say in unison.

"Oh, shut up."

* * *

**Review! :D**


	42. Confrontation

**Here's a new chapter of Journey:) I enjoyed writing it and I hope that YOU will enjoy reading it:)**

* * *

"El, don't play with your food." Jo tells the little girl.

Kendall watches as his ex-girlfriend interacts with her daughter, wondering what the hell happened in these two years since she disappeared. She disappeared out of nowhere, with no explanation of WHY, and now he's face to face with her again. He's not sure whether to be happy or angry.

"So are you gonna tell me the truth?" He asks her.

Meanwhile, Jo tenses up as he asks, feeling her worst fear coming true. The day she'd have to tell him the truth. The day that she'd have to tell him that she had a drunken one night stand with her costar while she and Kendall were together, and...and that she had gotten pregnant. That day has come. He'll surely hate her.

"Okay," She exhales. "I was at this...this party with...Jett...and we had a bit...to drink." She closes her eyes and takes another deep breath. "And we messed around...and a couple months later, I found out...I was pregnant. So I left..."

She flinches when she hears Kendall scoff. When she hears Ella saying "Mama," she removes the child from the high chair, sitting Ella on her lap. She always knew that Kendall has some anger management issues, but she hopes that he'll try to control himself in front of her daughter. She doesn't want Ella being exposed to one of his fits.

"So you cheated on me."

"I was drunk, Kendall!" She says desperately. "It's not like I purposely did anything!"

"But you didn't _have _to drink!" Kendall argues. Jo tries her very best not to start crying in front of all these people, but Kendall's making it very hard to avoid. Is he really gonna humiliate her in front of all these people? She has managed to get herself out of the spotlight and become a normal person, but that'll be ruined if Kendall reveals her identity.

"If we're gonna talk in public, you've gotta call me Katelyn." She sighs. "I've been living under a different name since I left LA."

"Fine, _Katelyn._" Kendall sounds terribly impatient. It's making Jo incredibly nervous, but she doesn't know how to tell him. He'll probably just yell at her anyway. So she sits in silence, her arms around Ella. She thought that coming to lunch with her ex would be a good idea, but it's not going the way she had hoped.

"Why did you leave? Why didn't you tell your dad or a friend...or me?"

"Because you all would have hated me!" She whispers, her voice low and harsh. Hey, it's true. She knows exactly how they would have reacted. She would've ended up having to leave anyway. Chances are, her dad would have kicked her out and her friends and her boyfriend wouldn't have wanted anything to do with her.

"We would have been mad at first, especially me, but you would have been forgiven." Kendall tells her, sitting back and crossing his arms. Jo tries to keep her cool by simply admiring her surroundings. The fantastic view of the beach, the beautiful decorated beach-style restaurant...it's a pleasant sight...she just wishes that situation were less awkward.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She answers sarcastically, picking up the diaper bag.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you!" She snaps, walking toward the exit. "C'mon, Ella, you and mommy are going back to the beach."

She can hear Kendall's footsteps behind her, but that doesn't slow her down. In fact, she picks up speed, even when Ella begins whimpering. She knows that this is probably freaking her little girl out, which she doesn't mean to do, but she doesn't need Kendall putting her under more stress. She's a single mom with no job, no proper home, and no real support. The last thing she needs is an angry ex-boyfriend.

"Jo-I mean, Katelyn, just talk to me-"

"About what, Kendall? I need to focus on raising _my _daughter, NOT confronting a relationship that just isn't happening anymore!" She snaps, while Ella buries her face in her mother's shoulder. Jo rubs the little girl's back, kissing her cheek, then the young mother looks at Kendall, her jaw clenched.

"Just face it," She states calmly. "We both need to move on."

With that, she turns around...and walks away, possibly for good.

* * *

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	43. It's Not Worth It

"I'm gonna do it!"

"Do what?" Carlos snickers through a mouthful of Oreos. James gives his friend an incredulous look, not believing that the guy has no idea what he's talking about!

"I'm gonna ask Maddie out!"

Soon Carlos's jaw drops and the Oreos he was eating promptly fall onto the bar. James raises his eyebrows and tilts his head, even though he knows what the issue is. Yeah, he gets it. Carlos still likes Maddie too and would like to have her for himself, but that's not gonna happen because JAMES is gonna get her first. She shall be his and there's nothing that can be done to stop that from happening.

"Uh, Jay? Can I show you something?"

"Suuurrrreee..." James says reluctantly as the shorter boy leads him to the hallway closet. He becomes quite confused because there doesn't appear to be anything particular interesting in there. Then again, something tells him that this was just a trick and-

"AH!"

He's suddenly shoved into the closet, then he hears the door being locked from the outside. He growls and bangs on the door, violently wiggles the doorknob, but NOTHING. That little monster locked him in here just so he can't get to Maddie! You know, he even attempts to ram the door down, but Carlos must have put some chairs or a bookcase in front of it...

"I'LL GET OUT OF HERE EVENTUALLY!

"Yeah, good luck with that!"

Then all is silent.

* * *

"Oh my god, what's wrong with my head, sweating with the chills, still in my bed-"

Carlos blushes as he watches Maddie sing her latest hit, Hangover. He really adores how she seems so innocent, yet she has this edginess about her when she sings. Her older music was very bubblegum pop, but now that she's 20, it's got a pop/rock edge to it. Carlos is really enjoying her newer stuff.

"That's really good." He speaks up. "One of my favorites."

"Oooh, speaking of the song, I'm planning the music video and I have a problem." Maddie replies, standing up and approaching him. "I can't decide whether I want you or James as my love interest."

Carlos chuckles awkwardly, putting his arm around her. "Well, I can help you make that decision. You see, I'm a way better actor than James-"

"Are you two still competing over me?"

"What? Nooo-" Carlos lies, glancing at the red head. She's got this stern look on her face that's usually reserved for mothers when their kid is being naughty. Could it be that the constant competition is beginning to irritate her? But Maddie Evans doesn't get irritated! Carlos doesn't think he has ever seen Maddie angry or even annoyed before-

"Friends don't fight over girls!" Maddie retorts, walking past him with her head held high.

And that's what gets Carlos to thinking that...maybe it IS silly to compete over a girl, especially when your competition is your best friend.

Sigh.

Carlos is gonna go and let James out of the closet...and have a serious talk with him.

* * *

"You-LOCKED ME-in-A CLOSET!"

"Only because I wanted her first, but-"

"Shhh! You listen to me, _Carlitos_. _I saw _Maddie first-"

"Uh, no you didn't!"

"Yeah, I totally did."

"Will both of you shut your traps?" Katie questions. "No one wants to hear it."

James glares at Carlos, crossing his arms. Katie is fourteen and she has more brains than them. Seriously, she doesn't get why two TWENTY YEAR OLD MEN are fighting over a girl that they've known since they were, like, fifteen/sixteen years old. She loves them, but this really makes her wanna slap them both.

"Look," She starts. "I get that you both like the girl, but you're gonna end up letting this affect your friendship. Do you really want that?"

The two young men look at each other, sighing simultaneously. Finally, they nod and Katie smiles, realizing that hers and Maddie's work is done.

"She's right." Carlos agrees, while James nods.

Katie grins. "I know!"

* * *

**Maddie's song is actually Hangover (by Hey Monday) :D**

**And I hope you enjoyed this chapter:) Review!**


	44. Hello, California

**I had to go out of town:) So Losing My Mind will DEFINITELY be updated tomorrow :)**

**On a different note, my whole Biology class is retaking a test on Tuesday:/**

* * *

**Three years later**

"Mommy, why did we move?" Ella frowns, following her mother into their new Los Angeles home.

"Because mommy wants her career back." Jo explains, sitting a box on the living room floor. She smiled at the sight of the the nicely decorated home, pushing a strand of brown hair away from her face. She's finally got everything out of the moving truck, so now they can have a mother/daughter picnic at the Palm Woods park.

She just...she just wonders if she'll see Kendall there.

"Wanna have that picnic now, El?" She asks, fixing the bow in her daughter's hair. She can definitely say that Ella is her favorite person, despite how she was conceived. Sure, Jo would love to say that Kendall is her first child's dad, but that's not the case. So she just doesn't mention Ella's "father" to anyone, because Ella's all hers and no one else's.

"Yay!" The five year old cheers as Jo grabs the picnic basket. Jo smiles, ushering Ella out the door.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kendall is at the park with his new girlfriend, Addison. He met the girl at one of Big Time Rush's shows last month and they had finally begun dating last week. He really likes the girl, although a part of him still has feelings for Jo. Addison, or Addie as most call her, is an aspiring actress with brown hair and blue eyes.

"So you tell me...what you think of this script?" Addie smiles.

"It looks great." Kendall nods. "Very...edgy."

"Hey, I know it's a little hard core, but I think it'd be the perfect role to kick off my career." Addie takes the script back, putting it in her oversized bag. Kendall supposes that he agrees with her. The project Addie is considering is a mix of Spring Breakers and Sucker Punch, very wild and edgy.

"It's a lot better than that Jo Taylor movie I saw a few years ago." Addie snorts, crawling onto his lap. He cringes at the mention of his ex-girlfriend, realizing that Addie is completely unaware of his past with her. He just...he just doesn't wanna bring that drama into their relationship. He just started seeing the girl, you know?

"Okay, why do you act so weird when I mention her name?"

"Oh, no reason!" Kendall lies, looking over at the park entrance. Then his eyes widen slightly, noticing a familiar face. Jo? She has brown hair now and is slightly curvier, but there's no missing that pretty face. He's not sure what she's doing here, but there's a huge part of him that's incredibly happy.

"And what are you looking at?" Addie asks as they share a sweet kiss.

"Um, nothing!" Kendall insists. "I just saw an old friend, so I'm gonna say hi."

"Okay?"

Kendall gives her two thumbs up, then begins walking over to Jo. He watches as she spreads out a large picnic blanket, then he approaches her. He isn't entirely sure what to say. They haven't seen each other in three years and the visit didn't really end on a good note. He found out that she'd had a drunken one night stand with Jett and...things just went bad.

"Hey..."

"K-kendall!" Jo turns around. "Um, hi..."

"What are you doing here?" Kendall gulps, practically _feeling _awkwardness. He never thought that he'd feel awkward talking to Jo, but this is just...this is just horrible. He would love to know that they might work things out, but it's gonna be hard, considering all that's happened. Jo cheating, having a child that _isn't _Kendall's...

"Mama?"

"Um, we'll eat in a minute, baby." Jo assures the child, while Kendall stands quietly. "Anyway, I came back to LA to...to make a comeback. I wanna revive my career..."

"Oh, that's...that's great." Kendall has no idea what to say. His girlfriend is waiting for him and his ex-girlfriend is here and...ugh!

"Yep."

"Uh, I guess I'll...talk to you later..." He states, waving at her. Jo nods, looking down at the floor. Kendall really just wants to wrap her back up in his arms and tell her that he still loves her, but he just...he can't do it. Not yet.

* * *

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